Two Sides To Every Coin
by Skyla
Summary: **Chapters 11, 12 Posted** Groo gets away, Angel reads Cordy's note. Maria finds Angel Investigations
1. Side One

1  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers:  
  
2 Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Cordelia/Angel  
  
Summary: Flirting at a bar, and a walk home leads to death for a tall dark and handsome mystery man, while Cordy has a vision that seems to lead to no where.  
  
3 Chapter: 1/?  
  
4 Feedback: Please, send to Silver_Vixen_@hotmail.com  
  
5 Disclaimer: What's the point everyone who isn't insane knows its not mine!  
  
6  
  
7 Two Sides To Every Coin  
  
8 Chapter One  
  
The Club  
  
She stood at the vacant table, nervously playing with a pendant hung on a silver chain around her neck, thoughts coursing through her mind, what was she doing here, god she regretted it. Letting Sam convince her this was a good idea, argh! 'I shouldn't have come' she said aloud to herself, even thought the bustling club was full of people this was L.A. nothing short of a major Hollywood star with a megaphone would get their attention for more than a microsecond, never mind a small insignificant nobody. As she stood to leave, her purse clutched tightly in her hand she saw him.  
  
He was stood alone no one spoke to him and he spoke to no one, he cradled a drink in his hands, his gaze focused on the crowd. Was he a bouncer? He didn't have a badge but he definitely had the physique. He wore a black cashmere sweater under a long black duster the tones brought out his eyes…. The crowd covered him from her view for a moment snapping her out of the trance she had been in. Even from this distance she could see he was perfect, out of her league but perfect. His deep soulful chocolate eyes seemed to pull her in, they penetrated the crowd as if all he could see was the one he was watching, she tried to follow his line of sight but saw no one that stood out to her. It was now or never, I promised Sam I would do this and I will, I'll try.  
  
Drawing up all her courage she headed towards him almost fighting her way through the thickening crowd, her heart skipped a few beats and upped the pace adrenalin coursed through her veins. She had reached him, and he was still watching intently. She tried to talk to him but the crowd roared with applause as the song ended and the next began, why couldn't it be like in the movies when the girl is about to say something and the music stops…. But then the crowd stops and everyone hears her words, words that were only meant for him…. Oh god what am I doing. I can't turn back now what if he has noticed and…… oh what the hell… here goes.  
  
She tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned and looked at her she froze, the confidence melted away and she was left stood there. Say something…. Anything… come on mouth work! "umm Hi," she said slowly a weak smile on her face, "I don't usually do this sort of thing but well umm……can I get you a drink?" Oh God what had she been thinking he already has a drink, a full one, shit, shit, shit, why wouldn't the ground open up and swallow her! She braced her self for the snide remark she knew the Hollywood types made when the insignificant dared speak to them a somebody.  
  
  
  
He felt a slight pat on his shoulder, gentle feminine, he knew about those pats from women so full of themselves. He turned slowly ready to politely decline whatever invitation was sent his way, usually an offer for him to buy them a drink. He looked down and saw her, a petite red head with twinkling green eyes, her cheeks were rosy, she definitely didn't do this a lot, he thought. He glanced quickly into the crowd at the girl he was meant to be watching, she seemed in no danger and not in a hurry to leave her entourage of male admirers. If she left and he didn't notice he had asked the bouncer to inform him, with a weighty tip for coming through for him. That's how it was in L.A. you didn't get anything for nothing, not even a gift. Even though he was working he couldn't knock her back, her eyes spoke tales of hurt and heartache. Her eyes, glanced at the ground and back up again, trying to measure his gaze. She really didn't do this a lot, he could feel her nerves. The art of flirting and the consequences of a bad move were no stranger to him, and he knew that one set back could put you off for a lifetime, however long that maybe….  
  
She moved away slightly and he snapped back to reality, damn I really need to think more quickly he thought chuckling to himself.  
  
"It's Ok, I understand" her smile faltered slipping from her face, the twinkle in her eyes faded slightly. Say something she thought, why hasn't he said anything oh god what was I thinking.  
  
"How about I buy you a drink?" he said finally indicating his own drink, untouched. Oh God, he said yes! Now what do I do, god it was an ever ending cycle. Say yes go on make Sam proud of his starlet. "S….sure she said shyly.  
  
The pair turned to the bar, with a quick glance over his shoulder at the girl he was watching. "What will it be then?" he asked her.  
  
"A Blue Lagoon" she said "…if that's ok.." she said her nerves still frazzled from the initial conversation starter. It was the only drink on the expensive menu she had ever tried, and she knew to stick with what she knew. He hailed the bar tender "a Blue Lagoon for the Lady" he said smiling at her. The bartender went red, it was obvious to her he didn't know what a blue lagoon was she smiled at him, obviously he was new. "Grapefruit, lemon and lime juices mixed with a double vodka and a shot of blue curaco on ice" The bartenders face flushed with embarrassment and he headed off to make the cocktail.  
  
"So…." The two spoke in unison they laughed. "You first" he smiled at her they were getting on well and he was surprised.  
  
"I was just going to ask your name" she said a tint filling her cheeks  
  
"That's just what I was going to ask you, are you psychic?" he joked  
  
"Great minds think alike, or so were told" she smiled, the proverbial ice had broken and without further discussion of names they talked. He glanced at the dance floor and the writhing mass of bodies moving to the beat. Who was he watching, she was jerked from her thoughts by the bartender bringing her a not so blue, blue lagoon. She smiled and let it be not wanting to embarrass the young man.  
  
  
  
After an hour he checked the floor again, she had gone, damn it, how could he have let himself be distracted, he excused himself "I…..umm just going to the washrooms" he said , via the bouncer he thought.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Hyperion  
  
The lobby of the Hyperion was quiet apart from the occasional page turning or sigh all was quiet for a change. The occupants were all half asleep after being up half the night, books were spread across the floor. They had given up on the constraints of a desk hours ago.  
  
'Why did it never seem this hard when Wes was here?' Fred thought to herself helplessly looking down at the book cradled in her lap, and the four others spread before her. She glanced at Gunn, his face creased into a frown, he couldn't find anything either then. She looked over to where Cordelia was sat at the computer desk, tapping furiously at the keys going in circles.  
  
"Morning all, and what a morning it is!" the host burst through the main entrance of the Hyperion with a spring in his step he slowed as he saw the faces of the group before him, "all-nighter was it" he said sympathetically  
  
"Yes, we have been here all night" Gru said sorrowfully, he had hoped to spend his evening in a romantic atmosphere with his princess but her 'duty' to Angel had come first, it seemed to him that Angel always came before him on his princesses list of priorities.  
  
Fred had had enough, exasperated she stood up "Its no good, there is nothing here!" Cordy moved to join them in the lobby, suddenly she began to float.  
  
"Something tells me we may get some answers now" Gunn said his voice tired "finally"  
  
********** Vision**********  
  
In the darkness and medallion passes in front of Cordy's eyes, it swings back and forth hypnotising. On the medallion is the face of a snarling beast, with red eyes picked out with rubies.  
  
**********End**********  
  
"Well that was helpful!" Cordy shouted to no one in particular  
  
"Obviously not then" Gunn said settling down again to flick through the book.  
  
Cordelia took out a pad and began to draw the medallion she had seen, there had been no time frame to the vision so she didn't know when what ever it was, was going to happen but by the look of the beast it was going to be bad.  
  
  
  
The Club  
  
Kicking out time, how did the time fly so quickly. He checked the thinning crowd, he had found her in the washrooms. He had actually gone into the women's room and made apologies saying he had gone into the wrong one. She had been there, but he would have known that if he had been paying attention. He knew he should go back to work and call the woman he had been talking to all night a cab but he didn't want to and he didn't even know her name. "I'll be right back" he said standing.  
  
"Ok" She said smiling, slightly tipsy from her blue lagoons, she had had four more of the cocktails and it was a little more than she could handle.  
  
He headed towards the exit dialling his cellfone as he went, when it had connected he told the person on the other end to send some one to watch his charge, he was having the rest of the night off.  
  
She searched through he purse for her lipstick and mirror, she knew she should go to the washroom, but didn't want to risk missing him if he came back. She touched up her lipstick and brushed her hair out of her face.  
  
When he returned it was without he usual glance to the dance floor, she was glad not that she had felt she hadn't had all of his attention in the hours they had been talking, but the fact that he wasn't looking for someone else made her insides warm.  
  
After a while the bouncer came up to the table and whispered to him. She couldn't hear what was said but he smiled and the bouncer left smiling at the two. "Come on, I'll walk you home." He rose as the bouncer returned with her jacket, he took it and helped her into it, "its cold outside, you don't mind walking do you?"  
  
"No, It'll be nice"  
  
They walked for what seemed like minutes but when she looked at her watch it was 4 am, Sam was going to kill her! At least it was before dawn she sighed. They eventually reached her apartment. He was the perfect gentleman, he planted a kiss on her cheek and watched as she closed the apartment door.  
  
As soon as the door was closed she let out a squeal and looked at the number he had just slipped her. She headed to the living room and sank into the couch.  
  
"It went well then" She jumped out of her skin.  
  
"Sam don't scare me like that!" she sighed chucking a pillow in his general direction, missing completely he handed her a steaming coffee.  
  
"Well tell all Maria." He prompted sinking into the couch beside her, she nestled into his side as he wrapped an arm around her hugging her close.  
  
"It was…" she paused contemplating her response "wonderful"  
  
"Wonderful" he repeated "Really, what happened to terrifying and no one being interested in you"  
  
"Forget it" she said going into a huff  
  
"And what about the hunk" he said tickling her  
  
"shhh!" she said through giggles "don't spoil it, I'll tell you in the morning" She got up, kissed him on the cheek and headed towards her room.  
  
The Alley  
  
He walked down the alley, it had been a strange night. Usually he was focused on work, but tonight she has pulled him in. He had only meant to have one drink then excuse himself and return to his job. He was sure to regret it later, but he had enjoyed it and she had promised to call him.  
  
He turned, he was sure he was being followed he had heard rustling behind him, like wind chimes when you first pick them up. He couldn't see anyone so he continued on his way home.  
  
It snuffled through the garbage in the alley, tail swishing pushing paper around. It could smell its prey ahead of it, not far off now. Its skin shuddered, a golden sheen to it shimmering in the dim light. It preferred the dark where it could hind before it struck. It liked to play with its prey before attacking, its spikes clinked together as it rose upright and sniffed the air, its back claws scraped the concrete floor. It wanted to attack now but deep down it knew it would taste so much better filled with adrenaline from the fear. So it waited.  
  
He was sure he was being followed now he had made several erratic turns in his route leading to no where, he decided he could take whatever it was and turned to face it "I know your following me" he said voice calm.  
  
This was no fun, he wasn't afraid what fun was it if he wasn't afraid. The game was over, the primal urge within the beast was set loose. It leaped from its hiding place catching the side of a trash can as it leapt.  
  
God what was it, he was in way over his head here. Its black gold skin was snake like in appearance and its hair matted, its knarled hands led to long razor sharp claws. He took a step back, fear flooded his senses.  
  
Now his prey was afraid, it had forgotten how appearances could change the situation, it smiled showing its sharp canines. It took a step towards him and leapt. A powerful swipe to the neck cut the major arteries and severed his windpipe. He landed on his back unable to move or scream in pain as the beast dug into him. He could feel the blood draining from his veins soaking into his cashmere sweater until it was sodden, the world went black. Once the prey was dead the beast cleaned the corpse's face and finally it cleared the blood from a medallion around its neck. A snarling beast. It raised its head red eyes shining bright as it howled and ran from the scene. 


	2. Dead Man Walking

Chapter Two  
  
" Life is a circle. Those who can penetrate the yawning abyss between incident and destiny read the future from the shape of the past. Thought- forms of the Gothic forged Western civilization out of the Dark Ages. Again and again those forms recur, shuttling from invisibility to plain sight and back, perpetually reminding us of our roots."  
  
In the Hyperion all was quiet, after an all night research session had turned up nothing and Angel hadn't returned from the recon, he had insisted on doing himself, the tired group had decided to go to sleep, if not in their own bed, the hotel had any amount of free space that wasn't in use.  
  
Gru had left an hour before the decision, he said he needed to sleep if he were to protect his princess when the need arose, Cordy had promised to go home, but she was to tired by the time they had given up on research for the night, and she was worried about Angel it would be dawn in only a few hours and he wasn't back yet. Her need for sleep eventually caught up on her and she gave in, and her subconscious taking over, she headed up the stairs instinct lead her to Angels room. She shut the door behind her navigating her way towards the wardrobe on the other side of the room, it was a good job Angel was so tidy or she may have tripped a few times and ended up sleeping on the floor. She took a shirt from the large wardrobe and laid it on the bed, she slowly unbuttoned the silky shirt she had been wearing for what seemed like weeks. She let it slip off her shoulders and to the ground, where she left it sprawled across the floor. She moved towards the bed un buttoning her trousers as she went she let them glide to the floor stepping out of them as she moved. She undid her bra and let it fall with the other discarded clothes, she gathered up the shirt and held it to her burying her face in it, it smelt of him a mix of old spice and cinnamon, hmmm why did he have to smell so good? It didn't help when they trained in the basement, she kept getting distracted, so she threw herself deep into the movements trying to ignore his close proximity but it made it worse, she kept imagining him moving closer. Snap out of it Cordy! She couldn't bear to think about it anymore, ever since Connor had….gone…. he wasn't dead and they were going to find him, and Gru had arrived their training sessions had ceased. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat she was to tired to cry. Connor was gone, and so was what she and Angel had been building together. Kye-rumption as Fred and Lorne called it when they thought she wasn't listening. She didn't know what it meant but she got the gist. God why wouldn't her mind settle, she pulled back the thick covers on the bed, she snuggled up under them and as soon as her head hit the pillow she was gone, a deep dreamless sleep took her and rested her mind.  
  
  
  
  
  
Police sirens wailed, they could be heard for miles. Closer to the scene a mass of yellow tape separated the crowd from the police as they went about their work. The crowd was there for the stigma of being able to say they were there, and once the details were out each and every one of them would say they saw it, by then no one would care. A few buzz rumours were flying through the crowd "torn apart" "an animal" not one of the rumours passed by a person without being magnified, those at the back got full on 'facts' as they progressed. The police were trying to keep a rein on the situation, to no avail, the press had already arrived vans were pulling up as close as they could get. The familiar network logos plastered onto their sides, reporters and camera men all looking for their exclusive piled out into the crowd pushing their way to the front trying to get a better view.  
  
A forensic team arrived, suited up with masks and coveralls. No one but the man who had found the body and the detective in charge of the homicide had seen the body nothing had been disturbed. The team took photos from every conceivable angle. With labels every where depicting size and colour. They shot film after film, then finally it could be moved.  
  
It was barely 6am when the body had been found. The man had been so disturbed by the sight that had befallen his eyes that he was now huddled under a tin foil blanket with a hot mug of tea, on the steps of the ambulance, while the paramedics were fighting off reporters. Even with security at its full extent the press had sown together a story from scraps, they proceeded to broadcast the story to already bustling L.A.  
  
"And breaking news just in, it has been revealed that a gruesome murder has taken place in downtown L.A." the brunette newscaster announced " and now we can go straight to the scene and our on location reporter Marcy Logan"  
  
"Thank You, Kerry" The reporter looked like all the blood had drained from her face as she tried to compose herself as she began to show her findings to L.A. "a brutal animal attack"  
  
  
  
"Cordy!!! Come see this!" Gunn yelled up the stairs of the hotel to where Cordy was still sleeping upstairs, he and Fred had risen early compared to the rest of the gang, the host was no where to be seen and Gru hadn't arrived yet. Cordy was still asleep upstairs.  
  
"Huh!" Cordy moaned sleepily she turned over.  
  
"Cordy!" Her eyes snapped open, some one had shouted her she pushed back the covers and stepped out of the warm bed, she grabbed Angels robe and headed down to the lobby. In the office Gunn and Fred were stood staring at the TV Gunn had insisted they installed 'for the news' but the TV had rarely moved from the cartoon channel and Tom & Jerry for much news.  
  
"What?" Cordy asked stifling a yawn and ruffling her hair, she looked at the screen as Fred leaned forward and turned up the volume.  
  
"……..and now an exclusive interview with the only civilian to have seen the body to date……" the reporter indicated a dishevelled man who had obviously seen green dollar signs flash before his eyes as soon as the shock had passed. "Can you tell us what you saw?" the camera focused on the mans face.  
  
"It was terrible, blood everywhere, I couldn't see details it was so dark in there, they have had it lit up with flood lights so they can see. There wasn't much left of him that was recognisable he was ripped to shreds, throat cut insides pulled apart. It was strange though……" he paused a frown crossed his face as if he was only just realising something. "… his heart….. it was there….. untouched….. and his face… it was clean. It was like the animal had a method, it wanted us to know who it was….." he trailed off.  
  
"Th…thank you" the reporter added trying not to be affected by the mans story. If it were possible the reporters face seemed a more ghostly shade than ever before as the camera refocused on her she pressed her finger on the earpiece straining to hear over the crowd " The detective in charge of the scene will be making an announcement any moment now, regarding the identity of the victim" The camera panned to reveal an authorative man, stood on the steps of a nearby building. The reporter and her crew moved closer she stretched her mic out so it was as close as possible to the detective. He was silent for a moment staring intently at the reporters before him. Then he spoke.  
  
"A body of a man in his late 20's has been found in the alley behind us. We have no idea who or what did this, but we have a full team working on it." He paused a barrage of questions bombarded him, he held up his hands palms facing the crowd, they quieted down "Please, hold your questions until the end of the statement when I will be available to answer them."  
  
  
  
"Or the ones to which the answers mean nothing" Fred said softly a rueful smile on her face. The returned their attention to the detective.  
  
"No belongings were found on the victims person, so all we have is a description to go on to I.D. him" he paused raising a clipboard from his side "the man was wearing a black cashmere sweater, accompanied by a black duster, pants and shoes were also black. He had short brown hair, brown eyes and pale complexion."  
  
"W…what was Angel wearing when he left?" Fred stuttered a worried expression crossing her face.  
  
"Pretty much that" Gunn said expression blank "Angel doesn't carry I.D."  
  
"Don't be silly you two!" Cordy said almost to cheerfully "It can't be Angel, if it was the detective would be describing dust!"  
  
"Maybe not…" Fred said reluctantly  
  
"What do you mean?….Maybe not!" Cordy said frowning "When you kill a vamp he turns to dust, seen it a lot growing up on the hellmouth and all."  
  
"Not if the heart and head stay attached…" Fred reached for one of the books she had been looking through last night, while looking for a way to get Connor back she had stumbled across and old Vampire text, she flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She passed the book to Cordy, Gunn looked over her shoulder as she followed the series of images depicting the death of a vampire by removal of all organs apart from the heart which was untouched and attached to the head via the spinal column. "according to this, if they stay together….. no dust…" her soft Texan drawl faded away as she watched realisation cross Cordelia's face.  
  
Cordy's eyes misted over, It couldn't be, she wouldn't believe it, not until she saw for herself and then she still wouldn't believe. Gunn pulled Fred into his arms. A lump forming in Cordelia's throat made her swallow hard, a tear escaped rolling down her cheek. Her eyes began to brim, if she wasn't believing why did it feel so real, why did it hit so hard.  
  
Behind them a door opened and closed silently, he had been planning to sneak in quietly and head up to his room before everyone got up. But he stood at a distance watching the trio. "What's up?"  
  
"Angel!" Cordelia spun on her heel and raced towards him, he barely had time to brace himself before she flung herself at him arms wrapping round his neck hugging him to her. He stood there dumbstruck. "I knew it wasn't you, I just knew it" He could feel hot tears seeping through his cashmere sweater, a bemused look on his face. Her tight embrace drew him in and he savoured it, wrapping his arms around her holding her close. He noticed she was wearing one of his shirts, great he would never get her scent off it now, not that she smelt bad, but it was what her scent did to him…she was wearing nothing beneath it and only his robe to cover herself. He felt a stir of feelings rise in him, God not when she was so close. He pulled back, holding her in front of him so he could see her, oh boy big mistake. She looked so vulnerable, tears stained her cheeks, the shirt several sizes to big hung off her shoulder exposing the delicate flesh.  
  
"What? What is it? What isn't me?" Cordelia collapsed into his arms again head buried in his chest, he could feel her fists pummelling him, hitting him in the chest.  
  
"Don't you ever do this again! You hear me! You have a cell USE IT!" with that she stormed up the stairs and all they heard was a door slamming.  
  
"What did I do?" Angel asked the couple  
  
"Kye-rumption" Fred whispered under her breath so only Angel's Vampiric hearing could catch it.  
  
"Nothing, you didn't do anything Angel" Gunn said indicating the TV, the detective was being bombarded by question after question. While a description of the deceased scrolled across the screen.  
  
"She thought I was…dead…. In the none walk around dead sense?" Angel said stunned, "but she should, know…you know dust…" Gunn indicated the heavy tome resting on the desk "Oh…" Angel read on "OH!" 


	3. Birthday Death Surprise

Pairings:- G/F, Gru/C and eventually Gru/?, C/A  
  
Spoilers:- basically season 3 Angel, no biggies apart from Connor being gone and Wes not being around.  
  
Rating:- Same as the show so far, but some scenes between some of the couples might get a little steamy.  
  
Disclaimer:- Not mine.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Maria stretched out in her bed, unwilling to leave its warmth. Her feet poked out from under the duvet, she scrunched her eyes up, seeking shelter from the bright sun. she yanked her feet back under the duvet quickly, "Sam!" she squealed "Don't, I'm up already!"  
  
"Really," Sam said a twinkle in his eyes, they did this most mornings when she had to be up but the lure of a lie in was too much for her. He didn't blame her for not wanting to get up, working where she did wasn't exactly a dream come true. She was better than there, a lousy Boutique in the mall, the snobs sticking their noses up as they walked past her. He knew her background, she had come, like every other small town girl, to L.A. seeking fame. He five minutes in the sun, but all she had gotten were knock backs. But today he wasn't getting her up for work. "Come you little, skin flint, give it up!"  
  
"Never!" she said challenging him, suddenly wide awake.  
  
"I know its here somewhere!" He dived at her pulling the duvet away, she squealed. "Aha found it!" he pulled at a bit of sparkling ribbon from under her pillow, he pulled and pulled but it just kept coming. "What the!" Maria laughed it was the same last year, he had pestered her and pestered her for his present and he had found it, but this year she was prepared.  
  
"Not far yet" she said as he kept pulling, she got up and grabbed her robe.  
  
"A card you got me a card!" he looked disappointed.  
  
"Open it silly!" she grinned, he was just like a little baby sometimes.  
  
Sam opened the card, "A riddle?" he frowned.  
  
"Yup to get your pressie you gotta work out where it is from the riddles."  
  
"Riddles, so there is more than one?" Damn she hadn't meant to give that away, it was his 21st and the hunt was to keep him busy while she checked up on the arrangements for his surprise party. He had done so much for her, she had to pay him back somehow. She reached into her coat pocket and found the napkin with the scrawled name and number on it, David, they hadn't even talked about names last night but she knew who it was. Sam grabbed the paper from her hand, "David, ehh" he smiled at her calming down from the birthday hype "How bout I take you to breakfast and you can tell me all about David"  
  
"Hey it's Mr. David to you" Maria said she wasn't hungry but it was his birthday, how could she decline, plus he let her have ice-cream for breakfast. "Gimmie, 20" she headed towards the bathroom.  
  
"I'm turning the tap on in the kitchen in 10" He said smirking, the one and only way she was gonna be outta there in 20minutes was if the shower was cold.  
  
  
  
Across Town.  
  
The Sun shone brightly into the window of the sparse office, furniture was limited to a huge red couch set before the window which took up the whole wall, and a couple of desks on the other side, all kitted out with all the mod. cons. On the couch a woman and a man sat watching the ocean, her face was red from the crying and a stray tear rolled down her cheek, she didn't bother to wipe it away. She felt numb inside why bother with the outside. The man sat next to her arm resting on the small of her back comforting, he hadn't been crying as much but his eyes were bloodshot, as if the effort to not cry, to be strong for her, was too much. She played with the simple gold band on her finger. How could he be gone. She had only spoken to him a hour before..before he was killed. How could he have been killed he was so strong, he knew how to protect himself and others, it was his job, his life, and when it came down to it. It hadn't mattered he was gone. She started crying again.  
  
He hated to see her like this, distraught. They had been friends since they were born. Everyone had said one day they would be married with a family of their own, but it hadn't been. David had found someone else, they were still close but he had been with someone else. Matt had been there for her they had grown closer and he had been the one to marry her, but the love for David was still there, but more brother sister love than anything, but it still hurt. It hurt him like hell as well, but he had to be the wall she leant on to stop her falling, falling so far no one would reach her. The grief would over take her and that would be it.  
  
"Michelle" he whispered her name, she leant into him burying her face into his chest, any sound that brought her into the real world, the world where he was dead it crippled her inside, sobs wracked through her body.  
  
The Hyperion  
  
The smell of burning crept into the musty room, the curtains let a small ray of light in, it crept like a miniature searchlight across the room as the day went by. Jerked from his sleep burn the smell, Angel leapt up. He looked down, if he wasn't on fire what was! He had had to crash in one of the many bedrooms of the Hyperion as Cordelia had barricaded herself in his room and rather stir up a fight he had decided to sleep elsewhere. He pulled on his trousers and shirt which were neatly folded on a chair by the bed, slipped his shoes on and headed towards the smell it was coming from the hotels huge kitchen. "See told y'all, he'd come down if he smelt breakfast" Fred said smiling coyly at Gunn and Lorne. "Want some"  
  
Angel cringed inwardly, so it was breakfast that was burning. "Ummm, I think I'll pass" Gunn held out his plate, Angel didn't know how he could stomach half the stuff he ate.  
  
"None for me sweetie" Lorne said looking at Angel, "I think Angel-cakes and I are gonna go check some stuff out in the office" He said hinting  
  
"What stuff?" Angel said not getting the hint.  
  
"The stuff we were talking about before the ballet, you know what I mean you big corn muffin" Lorne said  
  
God he was calling him pastries, that could only mean...Cordelia. "Oh, right can't we do that later, there was only a few files to file."  
  
"Sorry strudel, but these things have got to be done, right guys"  
  
"Umm, yea." Gunn said puzzled  
  
Lorne headed to the lobby and turned at the door to make sure Angel was following. "Damn" how did they always manage to get him to do what they wanted, him the Scourge of Europe.  
  
50's Style Diner  
  
"20 minutes, humph Now we'll have to make it Lunch" Sam said elbowing her gently in the ribs. Maria giggled, playing with her pendant again, she didn't know why she was so nervous. The ordered their meal, and sat in their booth. Maria had her back to the TV screen which had been turned down low, Sam took a glance at it. The news was announcing the name of the man who had been murdered, a picture of him appeared on the screen with his name and '1972 - 2002' under it. Sam paid no attention to it, and began his inquisition. "So tell all"  
  
Maria sighed and began to tell him all about David.  
  
Half an hour later, with her meal done and her story finished she sipped her milkshake, "So you think I should call him" Sam stared into space, she had described the guy on the TV perfectly, but it couldn't have been him could it. "Sam!" she shook his shoulder.  
  
"Huh?" He snapped back into reality  
  
"I said, do you think I should call him?" Maria said peeved he had been ignoring her.  
  
"Yea." it couldn't have been him so it would be ok if she called her guy, he hoped.  
  
"Ok I'm gonna go call from the phone over there" she smiled brightly. She picked up the phone and dialled the number, it rang once before it was picked up "Granges, how can I help you?" it was a woman who answered, her voice sounded cold and she sniffed.  
  
"Umm, Hi I was looking for David. Does he work there?" Maria said faltering, she had expected it to be his home number.  
  
"What is this some kind of sick joke!" The woman sounded disgusted, and she started to cry, the phone was taken from her and a man replaced her on the other end.  
  
"Sorry about that, what did you want?"  
  
"I... was looking for David" she stammered  
  
The Hyperion  
  
"Yuk!" Fred picked up a napkin and daintily deposited the piece of food she had so readily shovelled into her mouth, "How can you eat that!" she said looking at Gunn  
  
"Coz I love you" He said mouth half full  
  
"You should have said it was bad" Fred said getting of her stool and moving to hug him, it was so sweet he hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings.  
  
"Want to go get pancakes?" He said into her hair, loosening her embrace she stepped back and beamed at him  
  
"Sure!" they grabbed their coats and headed out of the door.  
  
50's Diner  
  
"Two Stacks of pancakes with extra syrup and a chocolate milkshake with two straws" Gunn looked at the menu, "umm, anything else"  
  
"Nope" Fred said smiling.  
  
They sat chatting about nothing much at all, like a normal couple, anyone looking on would assume that's what they were, a normal couple. Not part of an investigation team who dealt with the paranormal.  
  
Maria held the phone tight to her ear, "Hello? Are you there? What's wrong?"  
  
"Sorry, how did you know him?" the man sounded sad, there was a tone in his voice that told her something was wrong, plus he said did how did she know him, not how do or I'll just go get him 'how did you know him' the words echoed in her ear.  
  
"We met last night, he gave me this number and said to call."  
  
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this" oh god what was wrong why wouldn't he just spit it out. "but David's dead." Maria gasped  
  
"Dead" she stuttered, how could he be dead, she had just seen him a matter of hours ago, not days hours and he was dead.  
  
"I'm sorry" The man said, "I have to go." He put the phone down on her and she clung to her end she felt like if she put the phone down it would make it real, he had been the best thing (Sam aside) to happen to her since the break up. How could he be gone.  
  
"You done!?" A blonde behind her, obviously in a rush, took the phone from her hands and pushed her out of the way, Maria walked slowly towards their booth, she noticed a couple tucking into pancakes and sipping from a milkshake through a straw each,  
  
"Why can't I find that?" she said out loud, the couple looked up at her and grinned not expecting her to burst into tears and collapse on the floor in a heap.  
  
"Are you ok?" Gunn rushed to help the woman up, Fred by his side, the woman had just burst into tears.  
  
"Why?" Maria sobbed "Why did he have to go?" this was the thing that was to push her over the edge, she couldn't cope any more, Sam had been telling her to go back home, that there was no reason she shouldn't. But she was to stubborn to go.  
  
"It's Ok" Gunn said  
  
"Maria!" Sam rushed to where his friend was laid on the floor, coloured man who had helped her moved away and let him take over, "Maria what's wrong?"  
  
"He's..He's dead" new tears came on top of the ones she had already been crying  
  
"So it was him," Sam said under his breath. "Come on Baby" He gathered her up and helped her to her feet, "You sit there and I'll get you a coffee" he went to where the couple had sat, "Thank you." He said "She just got some bad news that's all, nothing to worry about" he gave a small smile.  
  
"No problem, really" Fred said softly  
  
"Happy to help" Gunn chipped in "If there's anything we can do to help"  
  
"No, it'll be ok"  
  
"Its what we do," Fred said, "here take our card, we help." She reached into her pocket and fished out a card.  
  
"Ok," Sam didn't see what they could do to help, unless they were psychiatrists but he didn't want to be rude, they could have just stared at her and done nothing. Cordelia's Apartment  
  
Steam billowed from underneath the bathroom door, inside lit by candles Cordelia was laid in the bath which was piled high with bubbles, 'Are you O.K.' appeared written in the steam that covered the mirror above the sink. She smiled "I'm fine Dennis, I guess with demon über powers comes über emotions." But why had she gone flying off the handle like that, she should have known it wasn't him. The PTB wouldn't have let that happen without warning her, would they? 'U want to talk about it?" Cordy knew what he meant to say was do you want to tell me about it, a lengthy conversation with a ghost via a steamy mirror was something that would both take a long time and a lot of steam, and though she planned to spend a long time in the bath she didn't plan to spend that long. "sure, would you scrub my back while I tell you?" in response a sponge floated towards her.  
  
"Princess?" eugh Cordy thought she had forgotten about Gru, who had been out when she got in, "Are you there?"  
  
"I'm in the bath Gru, not feeling to well." She lied, she hated herself for it but still she did it  
  
"I am going to prepare some Mock-Nah, for you princess, I will not be gone long" he left silently  
  
"What's Mock-Nah?" no one answered, so she started to talk to Dennis.  
  
The Hyperion  
  
Angel headed up to his room after his talk to Lorne about Cordelia and what was going on with them or rather the lack on goings on. He had resolved to tell her his feelings not matter what, tonight. He had to find her first, he rang her apartment.  
  
"Hello, you've reached Cordelia Chase" Damn answer machine "Leave a message after the tone"  
  
"Cordy are you there, its Angel" no one picked up, "Ok ..umm.. when you get this ring me please, I need to talk to you in person."  
  
Cordelia's Apartment  
  
The phone rang and Dennis moved to put the sponge down and answer it, "No" Cordy said "Leave it, please" he resumed scrubbing.  
  
Beeeepppp  
  
"Cordy are you there, its Angel" Dennis moved to the phone thinking she would want to talk to Angel.  
  
"Dennis, leave it please just leave it."  
  
"Ok. umm.. when you get this ring me please, I need to talk to you in person." 


	4. Running

Chapter Four  
  
50's Diner  
  
The man had taken the woman home as soon as she had settled, but the diner buzzed with stories about why the woman had taken a turn. Fred and Gunn sat in silence, Fred tucking into her pancakes. Gunn picked at his, his face pensive looking at his food, he didn't feel hungry anymore and something was bugging him.  
  
"S'up?" Fred said mouth semi full with syrupy pancakes. Gunn looked up.  
  
"It's nothing" he said giving her a smile he reserved only for her.  
  
"If 'it's' nothing then there must be an it in the first place for there to be nothing about that it." She said a philosophical tone in her voice.  
  
Gunn smiled god she was smart, and he loved her for it, he sighed, she could make him tell her anything. "Cordy's vision" he said "What was it of"  
  
"Ummm" she chewed "a medallion, with a snarling beast I think"  
  
Gunn brightened a little "See told you it was nothing, all I remembered was the rubies for eyes"  
  
"What made you think of that?" Fred said confused  
  
"That woman, Maria, she had a medallion round her neck but it was of a smiling sun, decorated with rubies, it reminded me of the vision."  
  
"Ahh, buts it's nothing to do with it right?"  
  
"Right, just looking for a way to make the company expenses cover this" he said indicating their meal.  
  
Fred giggled "Angel would love that!"  
  
"I'm not sure he would notice" Gunn said thinking back to when they had thought Angel was dead, Cordelia had gone mental at him for not calling.  
  
"Yea" Fred said "I think they'd make a good couple"  
  
"Who? Cordy and Angel?" Gunn hadn't thought of it like that "They're just friends..aren't they?"  
  
"They have Kye-rumption"  
  
"Kye-whattion?"  
  
"Kye-rumption, It's when two great heroes meet on the field of battle and recognize their mutual fate. It's also a kind of grog made out of the ox dung but that's archaic. Every time I see them all I think of is Kye- rumption and moira, Moira being the gut physical attraction between two larger than life souls"  
  
"Oh so your saying that they have these but just aren't admitting it?"  
  
"Ummm, I don't know if Cordy knows it, but Angel does, I told him and so has Lorne. He knows deep inside"  
  
"How come I'm always last to know!" He said pouting slightly  
  
"Oh, your not! Cordy doesn't know how Angel feels about her or Gru for that matter"  
  
"Good, I hate being last to know stuff" he said tucking into his pancakes.  
  
"Need any help?" Fred said moving her fork towards his plate, he moved it towards her so she could reach.  
  
Cordelia's Apartment  
  
It was a little after dusk when Cordelia finally emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a terry cloth robe, Gru was sat on the couch a glass full of what looked like muddy water with leaves in it on a tray in front of him "Princess, I did not want to disturb you so I thought to wait here until you were finished to give you your Mock-nah"  
  
"Oh, right the mock-nah, sounds yummy" she said enthusiastically  
  
"It is to relieve tension" he said  
  
"Ok" she noticed the red light flashing on the answer phone, got the tension to relieve she thought taking a sip. It was horrible but she grinned and bore it. "Gru."  
  
"Yes, Princess?"  
  
"I want to go to Pylea with you to live" she had said it, for the wrong reasons but it would make him happy and she would get away from everything here.  
  
"Princess?"  
  
"I want to be where you feel comfortable, things here are strange for you I can tell"  
  
"If that is what my princess wants, we should tell everyone tonight"  
  
"No!" Cordy rushed towards him and touched his arm, "they would only try to stop us"  
  
"Ok I shall prepare to leave" he sounded confused at his princesses sudden desire to leave earth, her home where all her friends where.  
  
"I'll go pack" Cordy headed to her room "Gru." she smiled "we'll be happy there right?" "Yes Princess, though I would happily live where ever you were." She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was sincere. In her room she grabbed the suitcase from under her bed and began throwing things in it. Dennis removed stuff as she put it in.  
  
"Dennis!" she was on the edge of crying but she held them back, she was going to be strong "Dennis, please!" she took a breath, "It isn't gong to be forever, and I'll get Gunn and Fred to come see you. you know what I mean." Dennis began placing the removed clothes carefully into the case, folding each one. "thank you" she picked up a writing pad and a pen and began to write letters to each of the gang. "see it'll all be in here, except no one can know where we are, ok"  
  
The Hyperion  
  
There was nothing to do in the huge hotel, business had been quiet for the last day or two. Angel was in the basement going through a kata, he tried to be calm but he didn't know where Cordy was, she hadn't returned his call and it was getting to him. Her roundhouse kicked a bowl of fake flowers from their standing on a shelf. Pissed off he picked the flowers up, a bit of brightness in the dark, but all was dull all because her smile wasn't there to brighten it up.  
  
"Angel" Fred called from up the stairs, they had returned to the Hyperion to find a married couple sat waiting for some one to come see them.  
  
Angel headed up the stairs "Yea, oh hi how can we help you?" he asked spotting the couple "Come into the office and we can talk there" He herded the couple into the office giving Gunn and Fred a smile finally something to do.  
  
Cordelia's Apartment  
  
Bags stacked at the door Cordy took one last look at the apartment and everything she would be leaving behind. She sighed picking up a small bag. Gru picked up the others and they left.  
  
Wesley's Apartment  
  
Inside a half empty bottle of scotch adorned the table Wesley sat near it cradling a glass in his hands. An envelope passed under the door, no one knocked. He took a sip of his drink and put the glass on the table moving towards the window he moved the curtain, below the apartment he saw a yellow 4x4, Cordelia he thought, though she had not been to see him and told him so he knew she blamed him for the loss of Connor as much as Angel did. He went and picked up the letter, placing a corner of it in the flame of a nearby candle he dropped the flaming letter into the waster paper basket.  
  
Cordelia's Apartment  
  
A knock sounded on the door, no one answered so they knocked again harder this time. "Hello? Is anyone home?" the red head looked at the people around her, "I guess Cordelia isn't home"  
  
"Should we go to the hotel?" Xander asked looking at Buffy, not wanting to go there when all of a sudden the door opened.  
  
Maria's Apartment  
  
She had ran out of tears to cry a couple of hours ago. It had been a shock to find he was dead. She had only just spoken to him hours before, but now the initial shock was gone. She had given Sam his present not in the mood to supervise a treasure hunt, just because it had happened didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy his birthday. She pulled on a silky skirt and straightened her top grabbing her purse she called to him "Sam, do you mind if we go out tonight?"  
  
"Sure we can go" he picked up the keys to his car "Where to Ma'lady ?"  
  
"Cindy's, she is coming too."  
  
When they arrived at Cindy's the penthouse apartments lights were all out "You sure she's in?"  
  
"Yea, here" Maria said fishing in her purse for her key she gave it to him and he opened the door.  
  
"SURPRISE!!" they yelled, music sprang on and the lights went up.  
  
"Guys!" Sam said stunned "Maria, did you do this?"  
  
"Not just me" she smiled "Happy Birthday Sam" she planted a kiss on his cheek.  
  
Cordelia's Apartment  
  
The four people stepped into the apartment, "Hi Dennis" Willow said  
  
Buffy looked at her, "Oh right, ghost for a room mate, figures" An envelope rushed towards them.  
  
"Whoa, there phantom Dennis" Willow said reaching for the envelope, on it were the words 'open me now' underneath were two names with a line through them. "I don't think I should open this, Gunn and Fred wouldn't be happy, it's not for me"  
  
Xander looked at Willow and then to Buffy and Dawn. They had come to L.A. because of an anonymous letter which had arrived a few days ago, it had said Angel's son had gone missing and they were needed in L.A. Confused the scoobies had welcomed the escape from Sunnydale. A pen scribbled on a piece of paper, which then floated to Willow  
  
"Tell Angel. Cordy has gone with Gru, to Pylea" Willow read aloud "Pylea, that's where they rescued that girl from" Willow said remembering with a sad smile the day she had arrived to tell Angel of Buffy's death.  
  
"What girl when?" Buffy said "You were dead at the time, they had just returned from a hell dimension and had rescued this girl from a cave there."  
  
"A hell dimension, what would Cordelia want to go there for?" Dawn said.  
  
"I don't know but we had better tell Angel about it, and fast" Willow said, moving towards the door, "Thanks Dennis" As they left the door shut behind them.  
  
The Hyperion  
  
Angel emerged from the office the couple following behind him, "So you want me to find out who killed him?" he said  
  
"Yes, the police have reached a dead end and so have we here is all the information we have on the case" he handed Angel a folder packed with papers.  
  
"Not much then." He said under his breath "Ok, I'll call when we have got something"  
  
"Thank you," the man put his arm around his wife "come on Michelle were going home now" the woman gave no resistance as he steered her towards the exit. Angel headed into the office and handed the file to Gunn "See what you can find in here". As the couple exited the hotel four others entered.  
  
"I guess its gonna be a busy day." Fred said then she recognised the red head. "Hey, your Willow!"  
  
Angel heard Fred saying someone was Willow and he headed out to see what was up. "Buffy, what are you doing here?"  
  
Gunn stood beside Fred, "So that's the girl with the goofy name right?" she whispered  
  
"Yea looks like it" Gunn said  
  
"Angel, good to see your still with the dark clothes" Xander said  
  
Angel didn't say anything he just looked at Buffy, what the hell was she doing here, it was the last thing he needed right now. Cordelia would go all 'she's the love of your un-life' on him and he would never get to tell her how he felt.  
  
"We got a letter, don't know who from." Dawn chimed in.  
  
"A letter?" Angel asked still looking at Buffy.  
  
"Yup," Willow said "It said you needed help getting you son back"  
  
Angel turned to Fred and Gunn "Did you send them a letter?"  
  
"Nope, not with the letter writing here" Gunn said solemnly "Well if you guys didn't send a letter then that leaves either Cordelia or Wesley right?" Xander said  
  
"Cordy wouldn't have done that without telling you Angel, you know that" Fred looked at Gunn  
  
"He wouldn't have either" Gunn said noticing the dark look that passed across Angel's face  
  
"Who Wesley?" Xander said oblivious  
  
"Umm, yea" Fred said flinching at the sound of his name, the betrayal showed on her face.  
  
Angel turned and headed into the office. When she thought he was out of earshot Fred whispered to the scoobies "We don't say that name a lot around here"  
  
"Try to avoid at all cost more like" Gunn frowned "If you don't want Angel to snap I'd let it be if I were you."  
  
The scoobies sat with Fred on the couch as she nervously made conversation. Then yet another unexpected visitor walked in. "Angel about?" Lilah stood at the doors briefcase in her hand.  
  
"What do you want?" Angel said his voice low, he was going to snap soon he could feel it inside.  
  
"Oh, I see my letter arrived safe and sound" she said extending her hand for Xander to take, Xander was charmed and he reached out to take it. Angel brushed his hand roughly out of the way.  
  
"What do you want?" Angel repeated his tone more harsh.  
  
"We at Wolfram and Hart, want very much to find your son, and we will do everything in our power to do that." Lilah said matter of factly "And when he returns we will cut him open and find out just what makes him tick, you know what I mean." She smiled slyly  
  
"Get out" Angel said ready to hit her smug face into next Tuesday.  
  
"Well, nice talking to you" Lilah said ignoring Angel she turned on her heel and left.  
  
"Do I detect some tension" Xander smirked. Angel looked at him he had only been here 10 minutes and he was pissing him off.  
  
Willow looked at Angel, she could tell he wasn't in a good mood. "Angel?" his face visibly calmed.  
  
"Yes?" he said slowly  
  
"Phantom Dennis asked us to give you a message" Willow said reaching in her pocket.  
  
"You were at Cordy's?" Angel said "Was she there?"  
  
"No she wasn't there, that's what Dennis wanted us to tell you." She said looking at the scribbles, "Cordelia has left with Gru"  
  
"Where to?" Angel said grabbing the paper from Willow, he read it his face fell. He dropped the paper and shot out of the door.  
  
"Well bye then!" Xander said. Gunn, Fred and the rest of the scoobies looked uncomfortably around the room. Gunn picked up the paper reading it he looked at Fred.  
  
"She's gone to Pylea" Fred face dropped, with Cordy in Pylea Angel couldn't tell her how he felt, and that would lead to a broody Angel, and the only person who could deal with a broody Angel.Cordelia. 


	5. Deserters!

Chapter Five  
  
Its strange how when you want, need to, say some thing to some one, feelings inside that need to escape and let themselves be know to everyone or no one. They never transform themselves into a meaningful sentence or paragraph, its always jumbled, mixed, as if someone or something had poured them all into a huge pot and stirred and stirred and stirred. Until, at last, no one can make head nor tail of them. That's what arguments are for.  
  
The lobby was filled with people, not exactly filled but it was more people than the old hotel had seen since its doors had been closed to paying guests in the 1950's. they were split into two distinct groups, one larger were new to the hotel three women and a man they sat on the circular couch, the youngest talking to the man, the other two silent, the blonde glancing at the other group. Gunn and Fred sat at the old reception leaning on the counter top whispering to each other.  
  
It had been an hour since Angel had rushed from the hotel in search of Cordelia and Gru, but he had probably been too late and Cordelia would have managed to run away from him, the one inane fear that rested inside Angel that no one knew for sure but was sure to be there as it was in everyone, was the fear of someone he loved running away, from him, from what he was, from what he felt, it could have happened with Buffy but he had run away first, ran to save what was left before it was ruins, run to L.A., City of Angels and to his new family which was slowly crumbling around him.  
  
"What should we do?" Fred whispered to Gunn, glancing at the scoobies sat on the couch, she averted her gaze as the blonde, Buffy, caught her looking in their direction.  
  
"I don't know," Gunn said "I'm not sure if Angel would want them to stay here or if they should go."  
  
"We can't send them away!" Fred said a little too loudly, she covered her mouth.  
  
"No, your right, your always right," Gunn said smiling at her, she grinned back eyes lit up. She slipped of the stool she was perched on and walked towards the group.  
  
"If, y'all wanna bring your bags I'll find some, not too dust rooms, for ya, we have lots, bein' a hotel an all" she smiled at the youngest, Dawn, Buffy's little sister.  
  
"I get first choice!" Dawn leapt up, seizing the moment to make light of their current situation. Buffy slowly rose to her feet, which felt like a dead weight, Angel had barely said anything to her, it was true their last meeting had been a little more than tense and when he and Riley had fought over her, she did feel good inside a glimmer of the love she and Angel had had shined bright, dulled only by the love Riley had felt for her, she had been with him then, she wasn't sure she had loved him but it hurt to think of all the things she and Angel could never have together. When she had found him defending Faith she had been shocked, and he had told her to stay away from his town. That had been the time when she knew they would never be together again, he had gone to her mothers grave and found her there, but it was friendship that comforted her not love not the love they had shared before.  
  
"Well I get seconds!" Xander said racing after Dawn up the stairs, Fred smiled and followed them turning to make sure Willow and Buffy followed. Fred caught Dawn and Xander up.  
  
"We use this floor for rooms, the others haven't really been sorted out yet, That's mine" she said pointing in the direction of hers, "Angels is that way, so we'll look this way for yours" she said walking towards her room. She opened a door and took a glance into the room, it was clean at least, a big double bed took up the far wall bathroom to the right. "Ok this one looks ok" she turned smiling opening the door further.  
  
Dawn rushed in "Wow, its huge, I want this one!" she looked at Buffy, who was frowning the other rooms they had looked into had been dusty and unused this one was by itself, Buffy couldn't keep an eye on Dawn if she had this one, but she didn't want Fred to think she was being suspicious of them, she couldn't help it, years of looking after herself and the rest of the world, she had to be cautious.  
  
"Ok" she sighed, at least it was near Fred's room.  
  
They eventually found rooms suitable for the other scoobies and they headed back down into the lobby. Fred paused on the stairs, the weapons cabinet was open and Gunn was trying to persuade Angel, who had returned to get the weapons he has hastily left behind, to calm down. He was blocking Angel's way to the weapons.  
  
"Gunn" Angel growled under his breath, he didn't want to lose it but he had to get at the weapons so he could get the info out of anyone of the vagrant demons who littered the streets. He had searched Cordelia's apartment, which now looked as though a bomb had hit it, he hadn't known what he was looking for, any glimmer of hope that she could be back, and soon because every second he could feel the anger rising within him, aimed all at Gru who had stolen her from him the day he had come searching for his "princess", God that got to him, she was Gru's princess, but she was more than that, she was Angel's life line his link to human life, she was his seer linked to him by the PTB, how could they let her leave him without a link to the visions, but that wasn't the worst of it how could they let her leave him when they knew he loved her, he had begged them to keep her alive when she had slipped into comatose on her birthday, he had sat by her when her mind was plagued by visions none stop, he had set free a woman hating maniac from a fiery hell he was trapped in and let him out on the world, he loved her gods be damned and he wasn't going to let her slip through his hands and disappear forever.  
  
"I can't let you go man" Gunn said standing his ground, had Angel flipped? "It's almost dawn, for Christ sake!"  
  
"Gunn, get out of my way" Angel said his voice low  
  
"God did you even hear what I said Angel!" Gunn said exasperated  
  
"Get out of my way before I move you." Angel was losing his temper rapidly  
  
"Angel, where ya going?" Fred stepped in front of Gunn, in an attempt to shield her boyfriend from the wrath of the vampire, "We know where Cordelia is, why do you need weapons?" she was trying to get him to rationalise what he was doing, she hoped to god it would work.  
  
Angel stopped he didn't know what he was doing or where he was going, "I'm going patrolling"  
  
"Angel its late, patrolling can wait till another time. You need to rest up." Fred said calmly, it was working least she hoped it was.  
  
"I'll go" Buffy stepped down the last few stairs "I'll patrol"  
  
"No, No you won't" Angel said grimly, she wasn't meant to be here, she was ruining everything, "You're not even meant to be here, we didn't ask you to come, we don't want you here."  
  
Buffy looked taken aback, she had come to help him, she didn't know why she had come now, he was acting like a pig, "I came to help! Against my best judgement I came to help, to help you get your son back, oh by the way it was great to here about him from you, oh sorry it wasn't you I got to hear it from it was an anonymous letter from an evil law firm. I would have at least thought you can have told me..us. yourself." She had stumbled she had let it out that she was upset he hadn't told her, it had been the one thing in their relationship that had always been there before the curse, she had wanted his child she had wanted to live with him forever and grow old with him and their family, but he couldn't have children it was impossible, so how could it be he had a son, and it wasn't hers and that cut her deeper than anything. He had a child and it wasn't with her, he wasn't with her, he was happy without her. When her life was going down the drain, it laid in the proverbial gutter and she was sleeping with Spike, just to make things worse. It felt so bad when she thought of it but when she was with him. it felt so good, and she actually felt something for a change, not love not lust but something she couldn't explain. She knew it would have to end and soon. She was using him and it was killing her, slowly eating away at her insides like some flesh eating bug that had bore down into her, and was starting in her heart.  
  
Angel wasn't shocked at her outburst, he hadn't wanted to tell them in Sunnydale about Connor, he had wanted Connor to be theirs, his and Cordelia's and their family, family he thought, he was losing his family Connor was gone, Wesley god he didn't even want to think about him, and now Cordy had gone, she didn't even say goodbye. "It's none of you business what I do with my life"  
  
"Last time I heard you didn't have a life, Dead boy." The hair on Xander's neck was stood up on end, how dare he say that to her, when she had come to help him.  
  
Angel glared at him, he hated that nickname. Willow indicated to Dawn that she should go upstairs, but the girl shook her head, she wasn't going anywhere this was just getting good.  
  
Fred could see that Buffy and Angel needed to talk so she gave Gunn a look and then indicated subtly at Dawn, he got the message loud and clear.  
  
"Hey.Dawn?" he said, she looked over to him "There's a drive in not far from here, I'm sure they'll be playing some chick flick or other, wanna jet down there and catch one?" Fred smiled at him  
  
"Yea! But less of the chick flick more of the action! Can I get popcorn and nachos?" Dawn beamed  
  
"Sure, bet you can't beat Fred in an eating contest though" he laughed and Fred elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
Willow also took the hint and stretched with a fake yawn that turned into a real one, "Well I'm beat" Buffy glared at her, she couldn't believe they were bowing out on her, they weren't sticking up for her at all. Willow grimaced inside she didn't want to leave them but she could see they needed it both of them. Xander stood still he hadn't got the hint, "Xander, are you coming?" Willow tried to get him to move.  
  
"Nah, I think I'll stay down here" he said  
  
Fred panicked even one of them there would ruin it, she put on her best smile and sidled up to him smiling, Gunn frowned. "Are you sure you won't come with us?" Xander looked at Fred, even with all the stuff with Anya he wasn't going to turn down this hottie.  
  
"Ok, the movies it is" Xander smiled 


	6. Sunshine Love Hurts

Chapter 6  
  
Maria laid in her bed, duvet pulled up over her head in a vain attempt of blocking the suns rays which crept into her room. It had been three days since she had slept so well. She gave up the battle and opened her eyes the lilac duvet looked bright to her eyes and she scrunched them closed again pushing the duvet down in frustration she was to comfortable to move. The phone rang in the kitchen.  
  
"Oh why didn't I get one in here?!" she ran for the phone  
  
1984  
  
"As many as you want sweetie" John looked down at his daughters angelic face, tongue stuck out with concentration a stray curl of red hair dropped into her face, he reached down and softly tucked it behind her ear.  
  
"Done?" a willowy brunette leant against the open door hair piled atop her head, she smiled  
  
"Not yet honey2 John walked over to his wife avoiding the yellow crayon which had rolled off the small desk positioned next to his own. Father and daughter would work in the study together, she coloured various images for her mothers fridge and he did accounts.  
  
"Almost Mommy" the young Maria's eyes searched for the last crayon she needed, the yellow, her brow furrowed.  
  
"What are you looking for darling?" Kelly asked a concerned look on her face, it was unlike her cheerful daughter to frown.  
  
"My gift" she said simply, lips quivering slightly; fear and anger crossed John's face.  
  
"What gift?" the words had come out more harsh than he had meant, he rushed to his daughter, stepping on the crayon crushing it to pieces.  
  
"The yellow crayon, its my gift, the ." a tear slid down her cheek "the man said I must look after his gift until he came for it, he.he said I had to choose the gift so I chose the yellow one, but I can't find it" tear freely fell from her eyes, she was innocent and thought nothing of a stranger expecting a gift from her.  
  
After it had all calmed down, Maria was in bed sleeping peacefully. John cleared up the crushed crayon. "Why would he want a crayon?" Kelly whispered voice quivering.  
  
"I don't know" he shook his head "I just don't know" he picked up a bunch of papers from Maria's desk, smiling ruefully it was her birthday soon a day that brought so much joy into their life but also so much pain for the four years of her life they had tried to mask it out deny its existence but now; his face went a ghostly shade as he frantically flipped through the invitations his daughter had so carefully written out his hands began to shake as he sorted them out into three piles, ones written in red then blue then. a pile of names written in the sunshine yellow of the crayon the most numerous.  
  
"What?!" Kelly rose "What is it?" he handed her the large pile of brightly coloured birthday invitations, she paled staggered and sunk back into the couch as realisation swept over her "No.No" she sobbed "We can't let him have them, not this time, he's had enough! We've paid him back.we paid him back.." Her voice quieted to a bare whisper nearly inaudible as she repeated those four words. John moved beside her.  
  
"We have to," he said voice as low as hers "We have to or he'll."  
  
"Mommy, Daddy, I'm not tired anymore" Maria shuffled into the room clutching her blanket.  
  
Present Day  
  
There was no party, only twelve child sized caskets, twelve funerals and a phone call.  
  
"Thank you for my gifts" Maria paled a glimmer of recognition flickered across her face but left in an instant to be replaced by fear she dropped the receiver to the floor "Eleven to go" a mans voice could be heard on the other end laughing, Maria crumpled to the floor.  
  
Pylea  
  
Cordelia tossed and turned in the huge four poster, Groo had kept possession of the castle leaving the council chambers to the new united government of Pylea, a neutral ground for the parties to come together. And a cosy crib for him to return to if he needed or wanted to. Cordelia sat up quickly she rubbed her eyes "Princess?" she turned to him hiding the disappointment of finding herself there with him.  
  
"Just a Technicolor nightmare from the one and only PTB satellite channel "We'll cross dimensional boundaries just for you!"" she said sarcastically  
  
"The visions are more frequent? And not of Pylean misfortunes?" Groo asked concerned  
  
"Yea, maybe they don't get it" she said "I'm not in L.A.!" she shouted she grabbed a pen and paper, "the messages should get to him this afternoon" she said scribbling details down on the pad.  
  
"Princess?" Groo paused "Why do you not say his name?"  
  
"Whose name?" Cordelia said glad her back was to him so her couldn't see her grimace, they had been gone 3 days, she hoped it wouldn't occur to him or it would have taken him longer to bring it up.  
  
"Angel's" he said simply  
  
She grimaced again, "I do say his name, I just don't need to you know who I'm talking about" she placed the pad on the bedside cabinet and turned to him with a bright smile on her face, not quite her usual 100 watt but as close as she could get. "What do you want for breakfast?" she said changing the subject.  
  
The Hyperion - 3 days ago  
  
Buffy's P.O.V  
  
I can't believe it, but somehow I know its true and my body is numb I don't think I can move. It was Angel. He said those things to me. Not Angelus or anyone else and he was so calm.  
  
The Argument  
  
How dare you do that to my friends!!" Buffy screeched  
  
Angel just glowered at her his demon enraged inside him he didn't need to have this argument right now but somehow he wanted to.  
  
"What are you just gonna stand there!" she yelled at him wanting confrontation from the vampire, some sign that the Angel she knew in Sunnydale might still be there, but inside she knew that the Angel she had know wouldn't have confronted her either.  
  
"Just because that bitch of an ex-cheerleader has run away with some demon lover and left you business in the lurch. In my opinion she was probably only here to run off with the next millionaire client that came her way. Cordelia, Queen Bitch of sunnydale turned a new leaf, yea right!  
  
That was it that was the trigger, he had regretted telling her to leave his town the year before but her saying this but now after she said that he didn't care what he said to her.  
  
The wave of calm anger hit him like a tidal wave inside of him. He didn't know where it came from. In all possibilities it could have been the powers re-enforcing the need for the champion to protect his seer, his link to them his link to redemption. Or it could have been him making the choice between the past that stood before him changed darker and bitter or the future that was bright and sweet filling him with light.  
  
"You don't know her, the pain she has gone through" Angel said calmly anger shone in his voice.  
  
"Pain! She doesn't know pain other than breaking a nail before a date! And having to wear a press on! Real pain is knowing your mom is dying and not being able to save her, when every day you save everyone else, real pain is dying yourself and being ripped away from the light having to come back."  
  
Angel stood silent for a moment, he had thought to skirt around the death issue but now she had brought it up he didn't care. "What do you as the slayer hate the most?" he asked totally knocking her back she didn't know where this was going.  
  
"Demons, but what the hell."  
  
"What's the most horrific thing you have seen a demon do to a human?" he cut her off.  
  
"I don't know there have been lots of things!"  
  
Angel glowered "Well think of one, the most horrid adult or child it doesn't matter"  
  
"Just get to the point already!" she didn't want to focus on the things he wanted her to.  
  
Angel tried to stay calm, he had changed since Sunnydale and she was still treating him the same, but he had gone through things seen the side of him he didn't want to get out again to hurt the people he loved, the person he loved, he gave in.  
  
"Well think of that event blasted into your head with a force so hard it starts to kill your brain off bit by bit, and knowing that you'll be dead soon after a multitude of MRI scans all showing you your brain is dead and you shouldn't be walking and talking but a vegetable. Having to take overdoses of powerful painkillers that are only prescribed for terminal patients; which don't work, the pain stays, then keeping that to yourself because you didn't want everyone around you to worry" "Then there's the actual event you've seen a horrific scene, a brutal killing replayed in your head over and over until its sorted; prevented, but you see it not being able to help you watch, you feel the fear."  
  
He paused  
  
"The parents that brought her up wouldn't know her now, they didn't even know her then. At least your parents cared if you died or not"  
  
He stood silent again for a few moments, Buffy made no move to speak, so he carried on.  
  
"Then imagine being given a choice between your dream life and death, and choosing to die because of the consequences of you so called "gift" affecting me, and the rest of your family. Only to be given another option, to be turned into a part demon making the only dream you ever have impossible to attain"  
  
Silence again.  
  
"Imagine loving someone and knowing that they don't love you, that you could never be together, so you run away to stop the pain and the hurt."  
  
"She loves you?" Buffy whispered under her breath.  
  
"but they do love you and just didn't say it when he had the chance and now she's gone" Angel turned and walked away from Buffy who stood stock still.  
  
"You love her?" but he didn't hear her or if he did he ignored it as he went up the stairs into the darkness. 


	7. Pancakes and a Hero Sandwich

Chapter Seven  
  
50's Diner  
  
The four poured into the 50's diner "Sweet" Xander looked around appreciatively.  
  
"It's great" Fred grinned "though they don't do Taco's" Gunn's arm snaked around her waist as she scooted into their usual booth, Xander and Dawn picked up a menu as the waitress pad in hand walked towards their table.  
  
"The usual?" She looked at Fred and Gunn who nodded realising they came here much to often they both smiled.  
  
"Come here a lot then?" Xander grinned  
  
"What's the usual?" Dawn peered over the top of the menu.  
  
"Two stacks of Pancakes, Extra Syrup and Choc milkshake" Fred said "Yummy"  
  
"Sounds good to me" Xander put the menu down "What you think Dawnie you think we can take these L.A. softies."  
  
"Definitely" She grinned, she was having so much fun in L.A. it was a lot better than boring ole demon filled Sunnydale.  
  
"Well make that two usuals then, though I'm telling you Fred could beat the both of you with room to spare." Gunn laughed.  
  
"Can I?" Dawn pointed at the vacant pinball machine at the other end of the diner.  
  
Xander reached into his pockets and shrugged. "I'm all out" Gunn stood up reaching into his pocket he pulled a huge handful of quarters and passed them to Dawn who beamed and headed to the machine.  
  
"Well that was a great film." Fred played with her napkin.  
  
"Are you kidding!" Xander slouched back "If movie directors really knew what demon goo did to your clothes they'd be in for a shock none of this quick wash stuff"  
  
"And that head rolled all the wrong way!" Gunn enthused "They don't come off like that"  
  
"God we need a life" Xander said picking up a napkin "and I know as well as you two we weren't paying attention to that film"  
  
"You think they're ok?" Fred glanced at Dawnie making sure she couldn't hear them.  
  
"Yea, well, either Angel's dust, Buff's dead again. or they're with the happy making and we've got a big bad Angelus on our hands, and this time I vote for the staking option." Xander looked at Gunn "Either way not good"  
  
"Well the last one's a no no, not happening" Gunn looked at Fred "Right?"  
  
"Kye-rumption, remember" she smiled at him lovingly.  
  
"What? I don't like the idea of Buffy giving Angel a happy as much as anyone else, all I'm saying is we can't rule it out."  
  
Gunn shrugged "I'm not to sure Angel's gonna be in the mood for gettin jiggy with blondie"  
  
Fred frowned "I don't know look what happened with Darla, he was in bad brood mode then."  
  
"Darla, she got dusted 3 years ago what's with him and the big pile of dust?"  
  
"Two words for you bro: Wolfram and Hart"  
  
"The evil law firm?"  
  
"They brought her back say at least 9 months ago" Gunn said hinting his brows rose suggestively.  
  
"Ok lost here spill" Xander leaned forward arms crossed resting on the table.  
  
5 minutes later.  
  
"Ok so breaking this down. Angel got extra broody fired you lot, hooked up for a one nighter with the newly made vampire Darla. Not losing his soul he had an epiphany returned to work for you. Nine months later a pregnant Darla returns and sacrifices herself for their human child, who happened to be on the top of every demon cult and evil law firms wish list. So Wesley decided to take it into his own hands giving him to Holtz also brought back from god knows when, who then jumped into a hell dimension never to be seen again."  
  
"That's about it, with some other craziness thrown in for good measure" Gunn smiled as the waitress brought their food.  
  
"Right so this madness about Cordy leaving, you're thinking it's enough for him to get to that point " Xander said disbelievingly  
  
"Well sort of, but then not the greatest choice to get over her with."  
  
"Hold it one syrupy minute! Get over?!?!"  
  
Xander moved over as Dawnie arrived back. "The have Kye-rumption" Fred said using her fork to cut some of her pancakes. Xander looked puzzled at Gunn.  
  
"Angel loves Cordelia"  
  
"Angel loves Cordy? Awww that's sweet" Dawnie tucked into her pancakes swirling the syrup around them.  
  
"Oh you could have just said" Xander said taking a mouthful of cold milkshake then he paused swallowed hard as he realised "The Angel being dust is looking more and more likely."  
  
Realisation spread across the groups' faces they rose from the table leaving the money on the table and rushed to Gunn's van.  
  
The Hyperion  
  
The lobby was quiet, as the four arrived.  
  
"Well I don't see any dust" Gunn looked around, "Unless she been reading that book"  
  
"Hey, how was the movie?" Buffy appeared from the office a weighty tome cradled in her arms.  
  
"Ok so that rules out both scenarios B and C." Xander whispered to Gunn and Fred.  
  
"It was great Buffy, you would have loved it!" Dawn chimed  
  
"Where's Angel?" Fred said sitting on the couch.  
  
"See if we'd have asked it would have sounded suspicious" Xander whispered to Gunn.  
  
"In his room, How do you ever find anything in here?" she flipped through the book.  
  
"We don't" Gunn said simply sitting next to Fred.  
  
"What are you looking for?" Fred asked taking Gunn's hand.  
  
"Anything to do with Pylea apparently" Willow emerged carrying a smaller tome "So far we got zilch" she sank onto the other seat.  
  
"I have this theory, to be good at research; you have to be English and slightly geeky" Gunn chuckled  
  
"That's it!" Buffy dumped the book on the desk.  
  
"What?" Willow stood up "What is it?"  
  
"Wesley, he's in L.A. right" she grabbed her bag, then realised she was the only one moving "Come on!"  
  
"That's not the best idea I've heard." Fred glanced knowingly up the stairs.  
  
"I gotta say I agree with you on this one" Xander looked at Buffy "it's a long story"  
  
"Wesley took Connor" Gunn said  
  
"And yet so short" Xander shrugged.  
  
"So" Buffy shrugged "get over it already Angel needs Cordelia back and I'm going to help him do that"  
  
"In the way where he doesn't know right" Xander said waveringly "Right?"  
  
"Maybe Lorne can help, rather than Wesley" Fred said  
  
"Anything but Angel's singing" Gunn grimaced  
  
"No we don't need Angel to sing," Fred grinned, "We just need to know how Groo got back to Pylea, seeing as the book was lost or misplaced. maybe someone found it and returned it to the library."  
  
"Caritas?" Gunn said grabbing his keys  
  
"Caritas" Fred nodded sliding off the seat "but were not all going to fit in your truck"  
  
"Right.ok who wants to run the chance of Angel going even more psycho at them personally by driving the Plymouth?" Gunn said fishing the spare keys out of the drawer and dangling them in the air.  
  
"What's the big deal with the car?" Xander said  
  
"Well, lemmie think only Cordy gets to drive it, and that's once in a blue moon since it got stolen when she had it." Gunn put the key in Xander's hand "all I can say is hope and pray he doesn't find out"  
  
"He's not driving my car"  
  
"Angel, glad to see you up in the land of the living, in a non living sense of course" Gunn grabbed the keys and chucked them to Angel. "Works every time" he chuckled to Xander in a whisper. "Good ol' Vampire hearing"  
  
"You mean." Xander shook his head disbelievingly  
  
"Lets get going then" Buffy headed for the door, then stopped suddenly putting her arm out to the left, Dawn walked straight into it. "Not you."  
  
"Awww Buffy, I'm safer with you remember no ones gonna be here"  
  
"I'll stay, we can watch movies" Fred grinned.  
  
"Right that's sorted then, we won't be long" Buffy opened the door and the rest headed out.  
  
"I miss all the fun" Dawn slouched onto the couch.  
  
Caritas  
  
"First I was afraid I was petrified kept thinking I could never live without you by my side, but then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong and I grew strong ." Lorne tapered off the song as he saw Angel enter Caritas "and without further ado we'll get on to some of your scrummy songs" he placed the mike in the stand and headed towards Angel.  
  
The bar was bustling even more than any previous night the group had gone there socially or on the trail of a demon in one of Cordy's obscure visions. Demons of all breeds sat around the bar and round tables all jostling to and fro from their seats often finding them occupied by another demon. Though this may have caused brawls in an ordinary bar Caritas stayed relatively peaceful, the bar was protected with even more spells than before covering people and demons, thanks to Gunn's crew Lorne's eyes had been opened to the fact that spells only stopping demon violence was inadequate.  
  
"Well hello you I see Mr. Manilow can rest peacefully tonight." Lorne patted Angel's shoulder "Welcome to Caritas," He beamed at the scoobies then noticing Buffy "Oooh keep those slayer vibes to a minimum honey you'll scare away the clientele" he looked Buffy up and down her frame was taut clearly uncomfortable in the bar, then talking at just the right level so only Angel could hear "How you coping with blondie here?" Angel shrugged then Lorne raised his voice so they all could hear "And mores the point where's the princess?"  
  
"Is this guy for real?" Xander looked around the demon filled bar then to the stage where the Torto demon and his parasite were 'singing'.  
  
"Demon Karaoke who'd a thunk it" Willow smiled  
  
"Oh sure cupcake, we demons love a good sing along now and again." Lorne smiled "and more often than that we endure a bad sing along" he chuckled  
  
"Lorne here reads their futures, kinda a demon advice centre cept instead of the Dear Deirdre letters they sing karaoke" Gunn stood behind them all chuckling at their shocked looks.  
  
Lorne lead them to a table behind some red ropes it was the only free table in the place "For my V.I.P guests" Lorne said as he pulled back the ropes. The gang sat round the table "So where is the Princess" he looked at Angel "oh wait let me guess" he smiled "off somewhere exotic with blue eyes maybe"  
  
"You could say that" Gunn looked solemn  
  
"She's in Pylea" Angel said simply and sat waiting for Lorne to make everything all right that's what Lorne did and that's what he would do now he'd make Cordy come back home where she belonged.  
  
"Oh" the chatterbox side of Lorne disappeared in that instant and out came the Lorne that was quieter; but yet still could talk you to death. "Well I think the hunk of a hero sandwich and I got some stuff to discuss you stay here and have a drink on me, might even want to try your hand at the karaoke" he looked at them as he stood up Angel moving to follow him "or not never mind" the two made their way towards the busy bar.  
  
"Did I just hear right" Xander looked bemused  
  
"The whole hunk of a hero sandwich bit?" Willow said a puzzled frown on her face  
  
"Yea"  
  
"Oh..." Willow sighed "Glad I didn't hear that just in my head. coz wow strange thoughts."  
  
"I'll be back in a minute" Buffy stood up and headed towards Angel and Lorne. 


	8. That Damn Postal Service

Chapter Eight  
  
The sky shone a magnificent blue above the bustling of the market below business went on as usual buying and selling between traders of all sorts unaware of the danger that hid in the alleys behind the bustling streets where the suns rays did not reach. The beast hid there in the darkness, watching, waiting for prey that stood out from the crowd prey that was easy pickings. That's when it spotted her, her clothes were unique one off's that no one else had, she stood out in the mass of grey weaving her way through the crowd purposefully not knowing she was being watched, hunted.  
  
The Hyperion  
  
Fred and Dawn sat curled up in front of the TV a big bowl of salted popcorn sat between them, Dawn giggled "He's so funny" she grabbed a handful of popcorn popping a few kernels in her mouth and chewing slowly "yum" she mumbled mouth half full.  
  
"Mmhhmmmm," Fred said grinning, "he's always been my favourite, and the popcorn is still hot" she grabbed some more.  
  
"Yea its better when its hot" Dawn smiled.  
  
"Hi, can I help?" Fred said putting some of the popcorn back in the bowl. Dawn turned round to see who Fred was talking to, the woman was beautiful in a classical designer dressed way. Her hair was a torrent of dark brown waves neatly secured at the nape of her neck by a leather butterfly. Her suit was cut perfectly for her figure and the red set off her bronzed skin.  
  
"I'm looking for Angel" She made her way down the steps into the lobby.  
  
"He's out at the moment, can I help." Fred wiped her hands on the cloth that was next to the couch, suddenly nervous in the presence of the well- groomed woman.  
  
"I enlisted his help on a case around 3 days ago, I haven't heard anything since." The woman took a file from her bag. "My company has done a little digging of our own and we found nothing, I need to know what Angel Investigations has been doing about our case." The woman tone was business like cold with no feeling.  
  
"I can check for you," Fred headed towards the office "what's the name?"  
  
"Michelle Granges" she followed Fred into the office.  
  
Fred suddenly recognised the woman, she was totally different from the woman who had come to their offices 3 days ago, she was stronger but a loss did that to you. In L.A. you needed to be tough you couldn't let your guard down for a second or someone would step on you to get further up the ladder themselves not caring about the people below them. Fred had learned that from her time back in L.A. being in Pylea had opened her eyes to the myriad of crimes in the city, she no longer believed in the L.A. ideology all the droves of young girls who came to L.A. everyday looking for stardom believed in. "I'll just get the file for you"  
  
"Thank you" The woman flipped through the file in her hand, "We couldn't find anything ourselves, we don't have the contacts I'm sure Angel has."  
  
"Are you a Detective Agency?" Dawn sat up on the couch.  
  
"Yes, our set up is across town." The woman's face softened a little talking to Dawn  
  
"Cool," Dawn played with the popcorn in the bowl nervously.  
  
"I can't find the file he must have it somewhere else." Fred said as she emerged from the office, "I can get him to call you if ya want"  
  
"Thank you" Michelle turned to leave "I'll leave this file here it might help with his investigation" she handed it to Fred "Its not pretty, I'd recommend you don't open it" she gave a small smile, turned and left.  
  
"Right, back to the movie" Fred smiled at Dawn and flopped onto the couch.  
  
  
  
Caritas  
  
"So what's blondie doin' here?" Lorne called the bar tender over and got Angel a drink, which he didn't touch.  
  
"I'm here to help get Connor back"  
  
"Shhh shhh, do you know how many demon cults want that baby" Lorne say looking around making sure no one had heard.  
  
"Buffy" Angel looked at her then realised that if he was going to get Cordelia back he needed all the help he could get. If he was going to get Connor back. He couldn't believe that after their row everything was so normal between them, it was more normal than it had ever been.  
  
"I think we'd better take this into the back" Lorne tipped his head towards the door Angel turned to see two rough looking demons handing a plethora of weapons to the doorman after setting off the alarms. Angel nodded and they moved into the back.  
  
Pylea  
  
"I asked if you could get them there as soon as possible"  
  
"Were not exactly sure how this works"  
  
"You read the words chuck the messages through the hole then it closes. That's it."  
  
"Then why do you need us to do it"  
  
"Are you not the postal service."  
  
"Well."  
  
"Well."  
  
"Yes we are"  
  
"Princess?"  
  
Cordelia spun round "Groo... Hey"  
  
"What are you doing?" he stepped into the small building that was serving as a 'postal' service of sorts for the new Pylea.  
  
"The messages I sent to L.A. are still here, they need them or people are going to die."  
  
"I'll take them for you Princess" Groo stepped forward taking the messages from the human  
  
"You don't have to do that" Cordelia put her hand on his arm and smiled at him, she knew he would do it anyway.  
  
"I will return soon Princess, the return book is in the library is it not?"  
  
"Yes, Foreign Languages section, its hidden remember."  
  
"I remember." Cordelia kissed him and stepped out into the bustling market street and watched as he spoke the words of the enchantment and jumped into the portal to L.A.  
  
Caritas  
  
As the last strains of the tuneless droning of a Kailiff demons rendition of "Bye Bye Love" by the Everly Brothers drifted through the club and the growing crowd cheered begrudgingly, a small circle of blue light began to unfold into a huge swirling portal.  
  
"Umm I'm thinking Angel might want to know about this..." Xander pointed at the huge mass as the patrons of the club began to flee out of the door.  
  
"Yea that would be a portal, but its what comes out of it we've got to worry about" Gunn said fighting his way through the crowd to the back rooms. "Yo Angel, think you want to see this!"  
  
"Gunn, were trying to have a conversation in here."  
  
"Oh well I guess the big swirling PORTAL can wait then." Gunn said holding the door open for the inevitable rush.  
  
"If I have to remodel again, I'm seriously thinking of barring you all as much as I love your singing." They rushed into the bar just as some one or something stepped through the portal.  
  
"At least it can't pick a fight.right." Xander stood in the now empty, apart from the gang, bar.  
  
"Greetings friends"  
  
"God its like a scene from close encounters" Xander joked, the smile left his face as Angel rush towards the figure.  
  
"Where is she?" he yelled, "Where's Cordy?"  
  
"Calm down big fella" Lorne tried to stop Angel from doin something stupid "Come on ya big lug he can't tell you anything if you strangle him," he chuckled "Well that would be a task in itself"  
  
"I'm not going to strangle him"  
  
"Good, that's good right?"  
  
"I think so" Willow skirted round Xander and stood next to Buffy.  
  
"But I will if he doesn't tell me where Cordelia is" 


	9. The Runaways

Chapter Nine  
  
  
  
Maria's Apartment  
  
The curtains flapped at the windows the sound would have been soothing had it not been for the state she was in, she huddled further into the corner staring at the phone laid on the floor. thoughts raced through her head he was taking people close to her, she knew it her hand clasped her pendant even harder knuckles white a lone tear left behind from the floods wove a path down her red cheek gathering at her jaw line she swiped at it with her sleeve rubbing the wetness from her cheeks a new resolve settled over her features she wasn't going to let him take Sam he couldn't have him she wasn't going to let him. She repeated it in her mind never Sam, not Sam, she knew the only way was to get away from him, cut all connections so he wouldn't know, but she had only known David for a few hours and he knew..  
  
She raced to her bedroom grabbing the suitcase from the top of the wardrobe she had vowed to herself she would never need it again she knew now that she would always need it. as long as he was around she would never be able to stay in one place for so long. She'd thought he'd had enough, enough of killing her friends her family. she sighed and opened the top drawer she pulled all the clothes from inside piling them into the case she reached for the next drawer pulling it from its rails she tipped its contents into the case. With all the drawers done she tried to close the suitcase she glanced at the clock on the bedside table panic started to set in she didn't want a confrontation with Sam it was best he didn't know where she was going and she couldn't deal with it.  
  
She sat on the case zipping it shut forcing it to close; it just proved that she had gotten to comfortable where she was, she was glad the case had wheels it was a struggle to lift it she had gotten soft lately she needed to get to the gym, get tough again.  
  
She picked the phone up off the floor she pressed the connection on the rest and released it hearing the friendly dial tone ringing she dialled and waited as it rang  
  
"Hi yes, can I order a Taxi please?" she paused as the person at the other end spoke "As soon as possible" she relayed her address and thanked the person, it should get here about half an hour before Sam was due home. it was home she thought and she was having to leave again.  
  
1995  
  
The girl sobbed, tears rolled down her face, she didn't bother to wipe them away as she piled brightly coloured clothes into a rucksack. The glowing clock on the wall read a little after midnight. She pulled her hair back from her face into a rough ponytail, the red shone even in the dim light.  
  
Maria slowly opened the door to her parents' room she could only make out their silhouettes but that was something "Goodbye" she bit her lip to stop herself making to much noise as she closed the door and headed downstairs and out of the house. On her way she passed the mornings paper hidden under the cushion of the sofa, she grabbed it placing it meaningfully on the coffee table, then with one last glance she headed out of the door and into the night.  
  
Sunbeams flooded the kitchen, toast popped up in the toaster and the smell of fresh coffee wafted through the house, "Maria!"  
  
"Kelly." John walked in from the living room the paper clutched in his hand he showed it to her.  
  
"I.we. we hid it." She sat at the breakfast bar  
  
"Apparently not well enough" John sighed, "Which is probably why she's not getting up"  
  
"What should we do?"  
  
"I don't know, it always finds us we have moved so many times yet he always follows sooner or later she's going to have to know the truth."  
  
"He's taken so many." the strain cracked through in her voice, the pressure of keeping the knowledge inside her that for her to have her baby other mothers were losing theirs, 12 a year, always 12 no more and no less, for the first four years of her life it and been one for each year of her life but on her fourth he had made contact made her baby choose. but so many, Kelly knew Maria hadn't known what she was doing she hadn't seen deeper into the 'gift' she hadn't thought anything of a stranger wanting a gift. Kelly knew there was nothing she or John could have done when they had found out about the gift it had been to late, and Maria had already written the names of the twelve. After that year 12 was the death toll every birthday, one a week, 6 before and 6 after the date they had been blessed. and she had been cursed.  
  
"I know. I know, and if we stay in one place too long some one is going to put two and two together and it'll lead them straight to us."  
  
"I'll go and wake her" Kelly poured a cup of coffee into a mug; she smiled at John and went to wake her daughter. John jumped as he heard the mug drop on the floor he ran to the sound to find Kelly collapsed on Maria's bed holding tightly onto a doll left on the bed, which was crease free. "She's gone" she sobbed tears rolling down her face; "She's gone," she pointed to a note on the desk. John went to the desk and lifted the note, his face grim he read it aloud, voice cracking as he did.  
  
"Dear Mom and Dad," he swallowed "I need you to know that I love you both, and that's why I had to go. I don't want you to blame each other. For years now we have moved from place to place away from them. I see Mom breaking a little more every year, every birthday, and every killing spree. Dad too though he hides it better, but you shouldn't have to go through it. So I've decided, I'm leaving don't worry, I know its pointless saying that but don't. I'll be ok I'll find someway to stop the death, one day I promise you I'll be back. I love you both." At that point John lost composure and tears began to stream down his face, Kelly moved towards him and they held each other rocking away the pain, which flooded their senses in droves.  
  
  
  
Pylea  
  
Cordelia walked down the street glancing at the goods on sale throughout the entire market, the goods varied from beasts to skins, none of the normal items she was used to. Pylea was so different to L.A. and yet the same, the people were bustling around maybe not with the blind ambition of the L.A. hordes not seeing each other on their way to the top, but still business was fast paced prices changed quickly as sellers and buyers haggled for the best price for their goods, sellers over charging and buyers offering prices way below what the goods were worth eventually though the price levelled out to a fair price between the two and the economy was booming, Cordelia was glad she had brought her wardrobe with her though the lack of wire hangers in Pylea not to mention drycleaners meant many of her clothes were useless unless she wanted them ruined. She tried to keep her mind on things in Pylea but it was hard she missed L.A. she missed Fred and Gunn, and all the cases they had to keep her busy she missed. No! she scowled at herself she was trying to keep her mind off him, off his smiles and. god she was useless she'd come to Pylea to stop the pain of him not loving her but when she'd gotten here she'd realised that it wasn't going to change anything except that she was trying to quit cold turkey, the hardest way of all, but it just wasn't working everything reminded her of him, she would see a tall dark human walking away from her in the street and for a moment she would think. hope it was him, coming to save her from the hell dimension again, but she knew deep down it wouldn't be him it would never be him, and even if it was he'd never be there to tell her what she wanted him to say to her. She turned to look at the street she had come down; she could have sworn she was being followed. She shrugged and started walking again, it would never be her he wanted, it was Buffy he would go back to when he shanshued, she bit her lip she had promised to be there with him until his shanshu, it was her duty as his seer to help him and she had left. It had gotten a little tough and she had bailed, ok so it wasn't the normal tough that brought demons and all sorts of evil into her life it was closer than that and she thought she could handle it, hell she had handled it until that night at the ballet when they had been possessed by the two spirits, she had made light of the situation with Angel at the time and then Groo had turned up when they got back. But she could still remember every moment in his arms his kisses, he'd called her the most beautiful woman he'd ever known and when Groo turned up she had seized the moment, her feelings for him were getting to strong and it would have wrecked their friendship seeing as he didn't feel the same. She could tell that when they'd got back from the ballet he'd tried to brush over the incident, she could tell he just wanted to forget it so when she saw Groo she'd grabbed the chance to make everything the same again between them, back to being best friends without the awkwardness of having to tiptoe around each other in the aftermath of their compromising (to say the least) situation.  
  
Then there was Connor; she'd felt so guilty when she got back from the holiday and he was gone, she should have been there, she blamed both herself for leaving and the powers that be for not warning her, but somehow she knew that it was all part of their messed up plan for Angel and his son, she just wished that their plans would stop causing so much pain. If he was their champion why did they treat him so badly, maybe a miserable champion was better than a happy one. She looked at her surroundings, how had she gotten here, she had just walked and walked and now she was stood outside a cliff like structure. "Might as well explore a little" she sighed Pylea was also a lot more boring than L.A. and she was always hunting for something to do. She crept around a few huge boulders when she spotted a gap in the rocks, "Ok well there's either a huge beast in here or.. well not" so she clambered into the small hole, she gasped "This is either Fred's writing or we got another physics mad wild girl on our hands" she put her hand on the wall reading the writing covering it and every other surface there, she assumed everything was as Fred had left it as she walked around a feeling of admiration for the young woman grew in her chest, managing in there conditions for five years. there was a time when she couldn't have survived L.A. until Angel found her. She sat on some blankets piled on the floor, she felt so tired since she had arrived in Pylea the visions had plagued her nights, and her thoughts were filled with them during the day questions she didn't know the answers to worried her.why was she still getting visions of L.A. last time she was here her visions were of Pylea not L.A. but this time they were all L.A., she stretched and yawned laying down on the blankets, the smell was musty but somehow comforting. she reached for a smaller blanket holding it to her chest rather than covering herself with it. the thoughts left her mind quickly as she drifted into a deep sleep. 


	10. Disgruntled Dennis

Chapter Ten  
  
  
  
Caritas  
  
"You'd better sit down and explain" Lorne patted Groo on the shoulder as he steered him from the stage towards the booth. Angel stood exactly where he was on the stage facing away from the group.  
  
"I brought messages from the Princess, visions, she sent me." Groo started reaching into an animal hide bag slung over his shoulder. Angel grabbed them from him before any of them even realised that he had moved from his position on the stage. "She said the notes explained everything to you all"  
  
"Notes? What notes ya talking bout bro?" Gunn looked puzzled.  
  
"The princess she wrote you all notes before we left, she left them in her old apartment, and she delivered the banished ones"  
  
"The banished one." Xander realised first who he meant "Wesley, Cordelia wrote to Wesley." he stopped suddenly when he realised the almost murderous look in Angels eyes "How come I always make the revelations which lead to dirty look'o'rama?"  
  
"It's a well honed talent" Willow looked at him and smiled a little remembering the singing episode he had caused.  
  
"Is that it?" Angel suddenly erupted "When is she coming back?"  
  
"She isn't" Groo stood up his attempt at protecting his princesses honour, and a vain attempt to convince himself that she loved him and not the Angel beast. Angel roughly pushed him back down. Buffy put herself in between them.  
  
"Angel, this isn't going to get her back," she put a hand on his chest "you know that"  
  
"Yea, but it'll make me feel better"  
  
"Yea, but it'll push her further away, you know that," she said softly looking into his eyes. "You know that" she turned to Groo "Show us where the other notes are"  
  
"Buffy, we saw one, the one Dennis tried to get us to open," Willow said realising "It was to Fred and Gunn" Angel turned and headed to the door.  
  
"Lets go then" Buffy said following Angel.  
  
Cordelia's Apartment  
  
The door slammed into the wall, "Way to go big guy, if she does come back she's going to love you for bashing up her pad" Angel glared at Xander.  
  
"How can you tell?" Gunn said looking around.  
  
"Tell what?" Xander looked around the apartment  
  
"That Angel bashed the place up"  
  
"I meant the door and the wall" Xander gestured towards a small dent that had been made.  
  
Angel looked around the place was tidy, not how he had left it in his rage. "Dennis" he said simply.  
  
"The benefit of having a roomy with a lot of time on his hands" Willow grinned. Two pieces of paper floated in the air one hovered in front of Gunn for a minute, he reached out and took it, the other floated past Angel who went to grasp it but the paper flew past him and into the corridor towards Cordelia's bedroom.  
  
"What the!?" Gunn looked at Angel who shrugged.  
  
"A ghost with a grudge" Buffy looked at Willow and Xander.  
  
"Maybe the whole tidying thing pissed him off." Xander grinned.  
  
"Dennis, give me the letter." Angel said calmly. The note flew from the bedroom took a pass over the groups heads and headed away from them again"  
  
"I think he wants an apology dude" Gunn smiled, this could be interesting.  
  
"I'm not apologising to a Ghost" Angel said stubbornly  
  
"Come on bro, you know what Cordy would say"  
  
"Well no I don't because he won't give me her letter" Angel said a little childishly.  
  
"Come on ya big baby," Lorne looked at Angel a meaningful look in his eyes "Apologise"  
  
"Ok," Angel mumbled under his breath, "I'm sorry" nothing happened.  
  
"I don't think he heard you" Buffy looked at him.  
  
"Hell, I hardly heard him lil' lady" Lorne chuckled.  
  
"Maybe you should say it a bit louder" Xander loved making him squirm.  
  
Angel tensed, he knew they were right "I'm sorry!" he said loudly and it had the right affect the letter floated slowly towards Angel who held out his palm the letter hovered a little then landed lightly in his hand. He grasped it and immediately headed out of the apartment. Buffy and the gang went to follow him but Lorne put his arm out in front of the Slayer.  
  
"I think the big lug needs some alone time, we'll meet him back at the hotel" Lorne looked at the slayer.  
  
"It's not like we won't know the basic content." Gunn said waving the letter addressed to him and Fred. The gang headed back to the hotel.  
  
The Hyperion  
  
As they came through the door Fred and Dawn rose to greet them, "How did it go?" Fred looked at Lorne and smiled a hello. Gunn went over to her and gave her a kiss and smiled down on her.  
  
"We got mail" he held the letter out in front of her.  
  
"Who from?" She grinned at him.  
  
"Cordy"  
  
"Oh" her face fell a little as she looked at the envelope.  
  
"Well should we stop beating around the bush and open it" Xander said sitting on the couch, Gunn opened the envelope scanned down the page.  
  
"Nothing we don't already know" he passed it to Fred.  
  
"It doesn't tell us anything," She whispered, "just not to worry she had to go to Pylea and that Groo would fit in better there."  
  
"My Princess is happy in Pylea." Groo lied, inside he knew that she wasn't happy but why would she go there unless it was for the best, he would stand by her decision.  
  
"Maybe Angel's note has more detail." Buffy sat next to Xander and yawned "and then there's the visions"  
  
"She sent visions?" Fred frowned; she knew that last time Cordelia had been in Pylea the visions she had received were of Pylea and not L.A. why was she getting these visions. It could be a sign, she mused.  
  
"Yea Angel's got them too." Gunn said  
  
"Are they of L.A. Groo?" Fred asked to make sure "I mean why send them if they're not"  
  
"Yes, the visions are of L.A." Groo knew he had to get back to Pylea, to Cordelia, and seeing as Angel wasn't around this was probably the best time to do it. "I must get some bath products for my princess" he turned to leave, he didn't expect them to let him go and they didn't disappoint.  
  
"Whoa there big guy" Xander stood up. "You're just gonna run off and go back to Pylea, and I don't think Angel is gonna like that."  
  
"I cannot return to my princess for another two days." Groo said with a smile.  
  
"How come bro?" Gunn looked at him suspiciously, he had never known Groo to lie but anything was possible.  
  
"The portal needs time to recharge, a journey through it depletes the power." Groo said the smile still on his face.  
  
"True, True" Lorne shook his head as he brought a tray through from the kitchen.  
  
"Yea we had to wait when Barbie got sucked in" Gunn hugged Fred to him remembering that it was that trip that brought her from there to be with him.  
  
"And Angel cakes wasn't to thrilled for her to be gone then." Lorne said pouring the coffee into the mugs on the bench.  
  
"Not thrilled is probably the understatement of the year" Gunn picked up a mug, and sipped the steaming liquid.  
  
"But that time she didn't go voluntarily" Willow commented.  
  
"Hey Groo, you might as well wait until the proper shops open in the morning. Then you can get the stuff she likes, if you want I'll show you." Fred grinned at the chance of a shopping trip and perhaps a chance to find out how he was planning to get back to Pylea.  
  
"Ooh can I come?" Dawn jumped at the chance of shopping in L.A. even though the Queen of shopping wasn't there, she had some memories of Cordelia planted by the monks who had made her, not all happy ones but she remembered that the girl knew how to shop, and considering that she wasn't really welcome in most of the shops in Sunnydale due to her 'shopping trips' to get attention. Dawn had always admired Cordelia's fashion sense.  
  
"You should be in bed!" Buffy said realising it was 3am and Dawn was still up.  
  
"Awww but." Dawn protested Buffy had made her go to bed during the day after travelling to L.A. at night and then going to the drive in with Xander, Gunn and Fred so early in the morning. She had to admit her whole body clock was out a few hours. She looked at her sister, oh no resolve face; she'd better just go. "Ok.ok I'm on my way."  
  
"We've all had a long night, maybe we should all get some sleep. There's nothing we can do until Angel gets back." Willow said sleepily.  
  
"Good idea, you guys go up, I'll go in a couple of hours." Buffy re-filled her coffee mug "I'm gonna wait and see if he comes back"  
  
"Ok, Buff see you in the morning" Xander said making his way up the stairs yawning as he went. 


	11. From The Heart?

Chapter Eleven  
The Pier  
  
Angel sat on one of the benches that lined the end of the pier, staring out to sea. He held the letter from Cordelia and the vision notes in his hand not looking at them, he couldn't bring himself to do it, what if the letter told him everything he didn't want to hear. The visions were of no consequence really he knew they would depict a big bad that they would go and destroy with varying amounts of hassle and injury, but with no Cordelia to tend to his wounds in her special way which was no different to any other apart from the fact that she was there with her smile to wash away the pain. Even her jibes about him being a baby didn't matter as long as she was there, caring for him, it was the closest he got to her seeing as their training had stopped when Groo had arrived.  
  
He smiled as her relived the hug she had given him when she had thought he was more dead than usual. But then he remembered she had left, she'd run away from him.or maybe that was just his view on it, a biased view. maybe she did love Groo.No.he bowed his head, in his mind he'd almost let Lorne and Fred be right about it, he knew he loved her, more than he had ever loved anyone, she accepted him for what he was a demon, with no qualms she accepted him. Buffy had never done that he thought; he could always tell when she was thinking about it when they were together her body reacted differently when he had touched her in the smallest ways, it was her subconscious raising to the surface. Angelus had always stood between them even before he had arisen again. The terrible things he had done as Angelus repelling her slayer side. Cordelia had seen Angelus more than once and every time she had accepted him back into her life no questions asked, she never flinched away when he touched her, she knew that he was both Angel and Angelus everyday and yet she accepted him into her heart and loved all of him. as a friend.as family. his heart sank as he thought this, he smirked at the irony of it all, here he was in full on brood mode as she called it and she wasn't there to jibe him out of it, to make him smile it almost didn't seem worth it.  
  
He sighed looking at the letters, he reached for one containing the visions, 'What a big baby!' he could almost hear her shouting at him as he took the easy option, he shrugged and opened it. Inside were sheets of paper ripped from a notepad on them in her scrawled hand writing were various descriptions of victims, big bads, locations and time scales, with sketches of the demons varying in vagueness. As Angel read them he noticed some of the personal touches that made them Cordelia her colloquialisms dotted around the bare facts, a few seemed distant to him the facts written neatly on the page with no comment from her on feelings she had gotten from the vision they could have been written by anybody where others where filled with her he read these ones over and over putting off reading the letter. He smelt the paper smiling a little, to an ordinary person the notepaper wouldn't smell of anything but that, but his vampire sense of smell could smell her on the paper along with Groo, he growled at the thought of Groo being with her and tucked the papers back into the envelope he would sort the visions out as and when the time arose. He looked at the sealed letter one last time and with a sigh opened it. He unfolded the sheets of paper carefully and caught the small piece which floated out from between them saving it from ending up in the ocean, on the back of the paper was one word 'family' he turned the paper over and smiled as he saw the image on the other side it was a picture of him Cordelia and Wesley smiling (think Over the Rainbow, in Wesley's wallet) he frowned as he looked at the picture of Wesley, he had betrayed him taken his son away. He put the photo into his jacket pocket and turned his attention to the letter, her perfume lingered on the paper he brought it to his nose inhaling the scent her face flashed before his eyes smiling her 100 watt smile that lit up her whole face. He looked at the letter and read.  
  
Cordelia's Apartment: The day she left  
  
The curtains were drawn shut, tight, a habit for the days Angel came by and they needed the whole apartment, old habits died hard. The familiar darkness was a small comfort but small comforts never went far. She cradled a steaming cup of coffee in her hands a finished letter sat on the table to her right, she sighed the easy one was done, nothing to in depth but enough so that they would understand her reasons... her fake reasons ones that she hoped would cover the real ones, she hoped Fred would understand, Gunn was strong, tough he would understand he knew you have to do what you have to do, but Fred was different she wasn't weak but five years away from it all changed a person inside. She wondered whether it would do that to her, going to Pylea away from the life she knew the lifestyle she knew and loved, leaving her dream hopeless as it was. But it was worth it she had to hide her feelings for Angel by any means necessary, their friendship; if she couldn't have his love and seeing as Buffy was the love of his un-life that was the case, was so precious she could never risk it not after all they had been through. They had both worked hard in those times when their friendship was on the rocks. When he had gone through his rough patches his obsession with Darla he'd hurt her so much more than she could ever have said, but when he'd had his epiphany and come back to them he worked so hard to get her back and she had missed him so much she had been on the verge of making peace totally when he bought her all the clothes it had been a plus.  
  
She looked at the paper in front of her two difficult letters to write, Wesley's difficult for so many different reasons she hadn't been there when he had taken Connor from Angel she hadn't been there when he found the fake prophecy 'The Father will kill The Son' and she couldn't blame him for translating the prophecy and the apparent signs before it. Wolfram and Hart had tainted Angel's drinking supply with Connors blood so Angel was even more tetchy than usual. What Cordelia did blame him for was not coming to them, not necessarily going to Angel but Gunn and Fred were there instead he had gone to Holtz, an enemy.  
  
She sighed and put pen to paper letting all the emotions run out onto the page, before she knew it she had finished, if only Angels was that easy to write. She got the next book of paper in front of her and put the pen to it, she was stuck already she didn't know how to start "Dear Angel" she cocked her head to one side it sounded wrong some how "Angel" she wrote it on the paper then stopped she had no idea what to write, some how lying to Angel even on paper, about this wasn't as easy as it seemed. Maybe if she wrote what she really felt first it would be easier of course she'd have to make sure no one ever found the first letter. So she wrote:  
  
Angel,  
  
I love you.  
  
I wish I could stay but these feelings I have, for you. They're impossible I know that but we have grown, you said that on the night of the ballet, when we got back you were trying to put everything back in place to forget what we did when we were possessed. The truth is Angel I didn't want to forget it being with you it felt so right and yet wrong; you're in love with Buffy. So when I saw Groo there with Lorne it was the perfect escape but it wasn't far enough away.  
  
I hate that I wasn't there when Connor was taken; I went when you gave us the money because I thought you wanted us to leave so you could tell Buffy. Seeing as Buffy and I only on rare occasions see eye to eye on anything it had to be better if I wasn't there.  
  
The letter trailed off she put her pen down; Cordy wasn't going to be able to write this letter Queen C was going to have to do it for her. Cordy looked at the new sheet of paper on the notepad 'Queen C' she thought, 'bit like Angelus really' she frowned 'not in the lets go kill people for fun way of course, but still' she realised she was talking aloud, shook her head and began to write, it was so much easier when there are other people around talking the talking being easier than writing the talk.  
  
Angel,  
  
Sorry couldn't say goodbye had to go to Pylea with Groo apparently he has this huge castle still, and he really doesn't fit in here at all, and you know castle!  
  
Cordy paused; no mention of Connor no mention of anything important would be best she didn't want to cry all over the note.  
  
I really care for Groo. It's gonna be great! Like a holiday only longer.  
  
There it was going to have to do, she couldn't muster anymore Queen C onto the page. She signed the bottom with a messy flourish and ripped the sheet off the pad and slipped it into an envelope scrawled Angel on the front and then went to dispose of the first letter in a Dennis proof way.  
  
The Pier Angel stared at the page, that's it he re-read the short passage disbelief then mild anger flickered across his face, he got up note in hand and just started walking off the pier and onto the beach. How could it be that she didn't love him? He thought she did, Fred and Lorne thought she did. He glanced at the note, It's a lie his heart knew it. it had to be. But Cordy wouldn't lie to him he looked out to sea as if the sea would somehow give him the answer a lone gust of wind blew knocking the papers of Cordy's note from his hand he turned seeing them embedded in the soft sand by the boardwalk he bent and picked up the pages, folded them and put them in his pocket. A resolve set over his face his features hardened slightly as he headed towards his car. 


	12. A Change of Direction

Chapter Twelve  
The Hyperion  
  
Angel wandered through the lobby and up the stairs the silent hotel echoed the rhythm of his footsteps as he climbed the stairs slowly and opened the door to his room everything was as he had left it the bed unmade the shirt Cordy had slept in crumpled by the pillows. He mindlessly undressed leaving the clothes where they dropped not bothering to clear them up he got in the bed and slept a dreamless sleep the shirt untouched.  
  
Fred's Cave  
  
Cordelia rolled onto her back eyes open and alert; she had just had the best nights sleep for at least a week on a pile of skins and woollen rugs, she sat up and stretched, her stomach growled in protest she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. She stood up and began collecting the makeshift bed into a bundle and slung it over her back and headed back to the castle.  
  
The Hyperion  
  
"Does he often sleep this late?" Xander said looking up the stairs "I mean I know Vampire equals not a daytime person but I thought we had work to do?"  
  
"All the time" Gunn said looking up the stairs, "Coffee?" he held a cup out to Xander.  
  
"Thanks"  
  
"I guess it's back to the work?" Gunn just nodded the affirmative and headed back to the desk. "Tell me why it is the women get to shop and we get this?"  
  
"Come on bro, your not telling me you want to shop are ya"  
  
"Good point"  
  
The Mall  
  
"Oooh look!" Dawn gushed the rest of the group headed to where she was pointing, "Look at all those shoes"  
  
Groo looked puzzled he knew his princess had many of these feet coverings he himself only had a single pair before he had come to L.A. to be with Cordelia. She had given him another pair much different to what he was used to. They had gotten the bath products, namely various scented bath oils, bubbles and bombs around an hour ago but Groo was waiting for his moment to sneak away. It looked like it may take a while; Buffy had left them half an hour ago on her own errand the shoe store seemed to be the best bet. The girls filed through the door held open by Groo and they began milling through the shoes each exclaiming at different parts of the store, soon they were sitting on benches attended by guys working their way through some college degree or another. Groo took his chance and edged out of the door.  
  
He headed straight for the library he had to get back to his princess as soon as possible he had been gone longer than planned anyway and he didn't want to worry her.  
  
He pushed the heavy wooden door open; it had taken just under an hour for him to run to the Library. He passed the main desk where the attendant was working she looked up as he arrived then returned to her computer. The Foreign Language section was to the rear of the library and very quiet the best place for this type of book some citizen he returned the book when they had found it in the middle of the road and it had only taken Groo a while to track it back to the library when his princess had wanted to go to Pylea, Groo checked the area for anyone he might know and reached under the bookcase he felt around for a while then pulled the huge tome from the space. He scanned a page and then replaced the book, he recited the passage and a swirling portal appeared in front of him and he jumped.  
  
"Guess he wasn't up for Harvey Nicks after all" Buffy shrugged and reached into the hollow where she watched Groo put the book. "I didn't think I could throw him very far anyway, good job the others were so trusting. She headed for the front desk brandishing Fred's library card.  
  
Motel  
  
Jamie picked at the chocolate muffin picking out all the chips, it wasn't the most thrilling lunch she had ever eaten but it was all she had she glanced at her purse laid on the bedside cabinet she had precisely $4 and 2 cents, her bank accounts were nearly bone dry she didn't know what to do next. She wrapped the remains of the muffin in a napkin and shuffled under the covers, turned off the light and tried to ignore her stomachs rumbling complaints.  
  
She sat up straight heart in her throat beating faster than she ever thought possible, was it a dream or did she hear something. There, there it was again not a thud or scratching she didn't know how to describe it, she reached for the lamp and hit the switch she turned and scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary, nothing the room was just as she had left it she shook her head and that when she saw it she looked to the window and screamed knocking the lamp off the table smashing the bulb she was plunged into darkness.  
The Hyperion  
  
Angel headed down the stairs flipping through the file in his hands; he looked up to see a crowd of faces staring up at him. "There's been another death," he said simply picking up the remote and changing the channel. The screen was filled with pictures of crime scene tape surrounded by people and police officers trying to secure the area surrounding the motel. "Same M.O."  
  
"We got the book" Fred gushed she couldn't wait to see his face when he knew they could get to Cordelia.  
  
"Put it back." Angel said busying himself with various pieces of paper on his desk; the gang followed him into his office.  
  
"Yo dawg we got the book to go to Pylea get Cordy back." Gunn said puzzled, maybe Angel hadn't realised they meant that book Fred wasn't exactly specific.  
  
"Put it back." he said again his tone flat; no feelings crept into his voice.  
  
"Angel?" Buffy stepped towards him, what was wrong with him. His head snapped up but still no emotion showed it was like he had withdrawn into a shell and Buffy knew he was good at that.  
  
"I left this case too long, I have to go check out the scene see if I can find anything." With that he picked up his jacket and strode past the shocked gang and out of the door  
  
"Am I already in another dimension and nobody told me?" Xander broke the shocked silence in the office.  
  
Maria sped along the interstate in the rented car she didn't know where she was going but she knew she had to go. She wiped her face the tears had stopped a while ago but her skin was stiff from the salty water. The music on the radio stopped and the voice told the listeners of breaking news Maria's stomach plummeted her throat caught as she listened for more, her fears were confirmed. She switched the radio off as fresh tears flooded down her cheeks she reached into the pocket of her jacket instinctively looking for tissues trying to concentrate on driving half blinded at the same time, she gave up and signalled to leave the interstate, she pulled up as soon as she could and reached for the tissues again she reached into the other pocket in the jacket and pulled out a card, she frowned she didn't recognise it, she looked on the front a small picture of an angel next to a phone number and an address it said Angel Investigations and the name on the card was Charles Gunn. She stared at the card for around five minutes, then she realised the couple from the diner the day David had died. They had said they helped the hopeless or was it helpless? Well she was both but she didn't know whether they took her sort of case, the only way she'd find out she figured was if she went to them. Tears stopped she turned the car around and headed to the address she just hoped they had mad opening hours. 


End file.
